


Fallen

by MarcellusMiro66



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Body Horror, Crimes & Criminals, Drama, Family Drama, Film Noir, Horror, Psychological Drama, Psychological Horror, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2020-11-24 03:40:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20901044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarcellusMiro66/pseuds/MarcellusMiro66
Summary: "I wonder who I got THAT from..."He didn't mean it...He didn't mean...He didn't...He...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set after "Timephoon", onward and upward the Season 2 finale.

_"You took off in that contraption without thinking of the consequences or the people you would hurt!"_

_"I wonder who I got **that** from..."_

Louie slammed the bedroom door shut and locked it before standing still, huffing and puffing quite heavily. His eyes were filled with rage, his stomach was churning with loathing, and his brain was wracking with guilt. The confrontation with his mother caused Louie to be understandbly on edge and choose the wrong room. As in, he walked into the incorrect bedroom in his moment of blind fury, too indignant to mind his surroundings. He actually passed his real bedroom three doors down and entered...well, he didn't know where he was. One moment Louie was arguing with his mother over the effects of time travel, the next he ended up in this room that wasn't his actual room. 

Trailing back to the issue at hand, Louie fumed in irritation as he attemtped to focus on other things. 

_I can't believe it. My mom had the nerve to reprimand me for something I did wrong while Uncle Donald was away. He should be the one scolding me, not her. Sure, I've been grounded more than once, but the fact that it was my missing mom doling out the punishment this time around was simply outrageous. She's been gone for God knows how long, and suddenly she decides to pop up back into our lives, specifically mine? I survived 11 years of my life without having a mother or knowing what having a mother was like. To be honest, I thought she died. But I learned the truth from Dewey; she merely wanted to give us, her children, the stars. What did that mean? When did it matter? She's back, and so is my dilemma. Who was she really? Why was she here? What... What gave her the right to call me out for an action she herself was guilty for 11 years ago?_

Louie grabbed a random book and blew dust off the leather cover. It read: _Past Midnight_ by A. Boorswan. Tucking the novel into his hoodie, he continued to look around. 

_Then again... Della was gone on the moon for 11 years. I guess the natural environment did wonders for her psyche. She goes off rambling about aliens who call the Moon a planet and something called Moon Mites whenever she gets up in the middle of the night to do whatever she does. I... I can't help but pity her even if it was against my interests. Even so, she's not ready to be a mother, and I refuse to acknowledge her as such. _

Glancing over to a particular library shelf, Louie quickly deduced that, judging by the sound of air flowing behind it, it was a secret passageway. Pulling out every book on the middle row, he finally pulled down a dark red book, which turned out to be the lever mechanism. The shelf shifted slowly to reveal a stone staircase leading down to the abyss. 

"Louie! Louie, lad, where are you?"

His ears picking up the distant but familiar voice of Uncle Scrooge, Louie placed all the books in the correct order, including the red book that served to open the passageway. Unlocking the door and slipping out of the room, Louie tucked his hands into his pockets as he headed towards his actual bedroom and pulled out the brown leather book he tucked underneath his hoodie. He then slid the book underneath his bed and pretended to be in a sulking mood. The put-on wasn't difficult, considering what had happened just a few minutes ago. 

When Uncle Scrooge arrived at the doorway, he found Louie hammering his drawer with a nearby stick while wearing a fuming facial expression. Entering inside, a pang of concern chimed within Scrooge when Louie barely looked up from his activity.

"Err, lad...?"

"I know."

"Then you do know why Della did what she had to do?"

"I do."

"Good. I know that you feel guilty about what you did, but your punishment was a forgone conclusion."

_. . ._

"You shouldn't have messed with the time stream. Someone could've gotten hurt or killed."

_. . ._

"Della does care for you and your brothers very deeply. Even if she missed out on a lot of events and made mistakes of her own, she honestly loves you."

_. . ._

"Just say something, lad."

That time, Louie slowed his hammering and placed the stick atop the drawer. "What's there left to say, Uncle Scrooge? I screwed up, and now I'm paying the price for that screw-up. This doesn't mean that Mom gets a free pass."

"I understand, Louie. You did bring up a point or two in your conversation with Della, but she regrets her decision just as you regret your's. You need to trust her."

"Why should I? She stole a super-secret rocket of yours and took it for a joy ride before getting swept in a cosmic storm and landing on the Moon."

Louie got up from his spot on the bed and pulled out the covers, "There will be a day when I come to see her ways, Uncle Scrooge...but it isn't today."

"I see," Scrooge turned to leave, "Just take my words into consideration, will you, lad?"

Louie never answered, only eliciting a disgruntled grunt in response. Scrooge took this as his signal to let him be for the night, closing the door behind him. As soon as he left, Louie slipped underneath the covers of the bed and tried to get some shut-eye. _Tried_ was the key word, anyway... No matter how hard he tried, he got this bad feeling that he couldn't quite shake off. The deafening sounds of the raging hurricane outside certainly didn't help his situation either.

_Oh, who am I kidding? It's hard not to deny my wrongdoing in this mess. I made a mistake that almost cost me my family...and I almost paid the price._

_"I wonder who I got **that** from..."_

Louie curled up into a ball as he fearfully shut his eyes, which began to draw tears as he breathed quite heavily.

_I didn't mean it, Mom..._

_I didn't mean it..._

_I didn't mean..._

_I didn't..._

_I..._

* * *

**_"I didn't know who he was!"_ **

_****The blindfolded dog was strung upside down as his unseen captor circled around him...with a familiar red chainsaw in his possession..._

** _"Hmm. Well, I guess I believe you...NOT!" _ **

_The psychotic duck revved up the chainsaw and proceeded to bisect his bound hostage...with said hostage's screams being nothing but music to his ears. Beautiful, soulful music..._

** _"NOOOOOO...!"_ **


	2. Chapter 2

_"Your plots, your schemes... They only lead to bad things for your family... If you want to a part of this family, you've got to stop..."_

_"This is the one thing I'm good at. **Why can't you see...?**"_

Having given up on his third and final attempt to escape (proving that sometimes third time wasn't always the charm), Louie sat in front of the laser-gridded door curled into a ball before mustering up the strength to snap out of his sulking period. He stood up and slipped out of his makeshift Huey clothes, but never bothered to slip back into his own. Instead, he preferred to flopped onto the bed after stripping naked and blankly stare at the bottom of the upper bunk, for that was all he could do at the moment. He could do nothing but blankly stare at the top...to his left...and to his right...before he remembered something. Something that he stole from Scrooge's personal library, that something being a book. A book that could possibly cure him of his impending boredom. Reaching underneath his bunk and retrieving the book in question, he blew off any dust that might've built up and read the gold title of _Past Midnight_ again. Lifting the cover and flipping to the table of contents, his eyebrows arched in confusion and then intrigue at the chapter titles. "The Cape", "The Mask", and "The Origin" were just a few of them. 

_Is this...a superhero book? Why would Uncle Scrooge own a superhero book?_

Upon reading the very first sentence in the very first chapter, Louie's eyes widened with surprise.

_Oh... That's why._

Garrett Knight was a former military soldier turned police detective after receiving a honorable discharge from the former service. His gradually quiet and peaceful life took a tragic turn when the lives of his family (specifically his wife, daughter, and parents) were taken in the aftermath of a city-wide riot. The ordeal was made worse only one half of the perpetrators responsible were imprisoned with a light sentence and the other half were found not guilty and essentially walked away scot-free. It was an outcome that, combined with the revelation that the justice system he had been fighting for since day one was flawed since day one, ultimately caused him to utterly snap and seek revenge on those responsible. In the process, he became a masked vigilante known as "The Nightingale", the self-proclaimed champion of Starwing City who was devoted to dole out justice where the system couldn't. Compared to other superhero stories, this "superhero" wasn't an extraordinary being from another planet bound to become a symbol of hope and peace for the other species. Rather, Garrett was simply an ordinary duck, an everyday citizen with everyday problems, and no powers were granted from the heavens above. His military knowledge, weapons training, martial arts, and sheer will was all he needed to fall back on. He also notably didn't wear a bright and flashy costume, but a black-and-blue armored suit was the closest thing he had. It was because of these simple characteristics alone that he quickly became a legend in his home city: strong, beloved, and feared. He was the living and breathing embodiment of wrath, an idea that completely terrified Louie. The citizens of Starwing City most certainly agreed, for their reaction to their new savior was mixed. Some argued that the brutal methods of how he doled out justice made him no better or different than the criminals he dispatched, others believed that he was completely justified in his violent execution of truly despicable offenders and they were grateful for it, and the rest thought that his reducing of the crime rate was appreciated but his ruthless techniques simply couldn't be ignored. In plain English, one half of the citizens saw him as a Grim Reaper, the other half saw him as a Guardian Angel, and the rest saw him as the Boogeyman but with morals and a penchant for bloodshedding. Even the Nightingale himself acknowledged this fact in the prologue:

** _"The citizens call me many things: A hero, a villain, a savior, a freak, a lost soul, a well-intentioned extremist... Who gives a damn? Nobody truly knows who I am, and I'm fine with that. The truth is... Well, there is no truth. Everyone has their own truth. My truth is this: I'm nobody. I'm nobody except whoever or whatever Starwing City needs me to be. For now... I'm the Nightingale."_ **

Louie placed a bookmark on the first chapter before closing the book and slipping it underneath his pillow. He then stared into space and became lost in thought. 

_Wow. This Nightingale guy is completely bonkers, but he does raise a vaild point on heroism and morality. So who am I: the hero or the villain? My family's safety is clearly my top priority aside from being rich...but I resort to cunning and manipulation to achieve that. I mean, Della herself called me out on this fact; she basically stated I would have cease my scheming for the sake of my family. If I ever wanted to be a part of this family... I can't believe she had the nerve to say that to me! In my face! It wasn't even face-to-face, but face-to-drone!_

It was then that he realized...he was beginning to pace in exasperation. Slowing down to a stop, Louie took a deep breath and recollected his thoughts. 

_Was it really worth it, though? I really don't what was I thinking when I took those treasures. Maybe I wanted to give my family precious artifacts from the past to remember by, maybe I wanted to make a quick buck out of them, maybe I wanted to prove to them that I could adventure as well and not suffer from a lack of personality other than my greed..._

_. . ._

_Greed... The one thing I'm best known for, for better or for worse. The one thing that got me in this mess. The one thing that kept me trapped in this escape room with no escape._

_. . ._

_Maybe I don't deserve to be a part of this family._

Suddenly, the ground shook from beneath his feet, causing Louie to snap out of his thoughts and turn towards the window. He gasped in shock as the massive sight before him and he rushed over to push open the window. Indeed, the infamous air vessel known as the _Iron Vulture_ hovered above the mansion, which sprouted two massive cannons in response to the intrusion. Despite managing to get a few good shots, their efforts were in vain as the aircraft's highly advanced gun turrets took them out in short order. At that moment, three ropes were thrown down, allowing the Original Classics (Big Time, Bouncer, and Burger) to swing down to the ground, where they encountered the DT-87 security drone. It launched a series of electroblasts at the trio and managed to phase two Beagle Boys that weren't Bouncer, who immediately smashed the drone into the dirt, where it shut down completely.

Thrown into a state of panic, Louie immediately went for the phone. "Must call Gizmoduck, must call the military, must call _anybody_!"

However, when he did pick it up, he was immediately greeted with this: _"Doo-doo-doo! We're sorry. The number you're trying to reach has been blocked...because we're invading your house! Alright, see you in a sec, kay? Thanks, bye...!"_

** _BOOM!_ **

Louie's eyes widened in horror as he dropped the phone and rushed downstairs, not bothering to grab his hoodie. When the smoke cleared, he found a who's who of Scrooge's rogues gallery strolling like they owned the joint. This roster included the Original Beatle Boys themselves, Ma Beagle, Don Karnage, Mark Beaks, and..._Magica De Spell is back?!_ He watched as Ma Beagle destroyed a random security keypad nearby, which prompted Duckworth emerge from a portrait and take his demon form.

** _"Get out!"_ **

The Original Classics and Mark Beaks were utterly terrified by this new arrival, with the latter hiding behind a shocked Bouncer. Don Karnage and Ma Beagle, on the other hand, drew their sword and crowbar respectively while Magica remained the only one of the group unfazed.

"A demon butler, how quaint. Would you like to take my coat, shawl, or..._ghost-banishing amulet_?" She then pulled a purple-and-gold tailsman from her cape and hurled it at the ground near Duckworth. It then emitted a bright purple light, which stunned the demon butler and sent him flying out of the manor, shouting in surprise as he did so. Louie could only stand there in dread as the group parted ways to allow their leader to follow them in.

_Glomgold? Glomgold actually managed to pull this off?_

The poor man's version of Scrooge (which, to be fair, still made him insanely rich) donned a smug grin and placed both hands atop the circular handle of his walking stick before uttering in a surprisingly sinister tone: **_"Daddy's home..."_**

_Oh my Selene... He actually did it..._

_He actually did..._

_He actually..._

_He..._

* * *

** _"He actually did it..."_ **

_Starling stared at his computer screen as he watched his "replacement" run around like a complete imbecile and attempt to save the day. In any case, he succeeded where he could not: he brought Darkwing Duck back to the masses, become a hero in his own right...and scored big with the children as well. _

** _Children... Putrid, little scum that plague the Earth. Disgusting, worthless adolescents who are destined to become our legacy. Revolting, nauseating little...people._ **

_. . ._

** _They're exactly the thing I need for my plan to work..._ **

_Slowly standing up from his chair, Starling slipped on his fedora and revved up his bloodied chainsaw with a smile on his face._

** _...whether they like it or not..._ **


	3. Chapter 3

_"Your last "dream" made you take treasure from the past, which almost destroyed time, space, and your family! Now, to your room! You can come out when you learn that no good ever came from cockamamie schemes..."_

_"Fine, you caught me. Look, I feel terrible. I deserve to stay here in the dark to think about my actions..."_

Louie's jaw was agape at the realization that Glomgold actually succeeded in one of his schemes. Not only that, but he had help this time around. That only meant one thing.

_Mom was wrong. Sometimes, even the most cockamamie of schemes can work when given the right tools and material to work with. Plus, Glomgold-despite having mainly incompetent and being useful as a sack of bricks-did have his moments of pure competence when given the proper motivation. If he can do it, why can't he?_

"Excuse me! Lad?"

The youngest Duck triplet snapped out of his daydream rambling and remembered what occurred moments earlier. He rushed down the stairs to confront the group, the leader approaching him in return.

"I... I take it you're looking for Scrooge and the others?"

"Of course! We've come for McDuck and family! So...are the others here?"

"N-No, they're all gone," Louie shook his head as Flintheart looked on.

"Oh. I see. Family meeting-Gah!"

When Flintheart turned back to face his "family", he was immediately greeted with a series of pissed-off faces and worn-out spaces, complete with Bouncer cracking his knuckles, Don Karnage unsheathing his sword, and Ma Beagle approaching Glomgold directly.

"Unbelivable. You didn't even check if they were home?"

"Don't start with me, Katherine," Glomgold sneered as he crossed his arms.

"Dewey is not even here?" Karnage placed away his sword but kept his paw firmly on the grip, "But this...naked one means nothing to me."

"Look, we're here," Magica interjected, "Why don't we annihilate the green one as sort of a warm-up?"

"And then what?" Louie approached the group carefully, "What was your scheme here exactly? To show up and fight?"

"Of course not!" Ma Beagle (or Katherine) turned toward Louie and tried to defend their lack of a proper strategy, "I'm sure Flintheart had a perfectly good plan and-" She then groaned in realization at the words that were coming out of her own mouth before turning around to Glomgold for an explanation.

"My scheme was to bring us all together like a family, and then our family destroys his family! How is that not a scheme? After all..." Glomgold hopped up the first few steps to make a speech, "A good scheme is like a family. It can be big, complicated, frustrating...and people may not always understand it."

_Kinda like me..._

"But when the individual parts come together, they can achieve the impossible...and the family united is the greatest scheme of all."

In all fairness to everyone listening, Glomgold's admittedly rousing speech experienced a sharp pang of guilt and sympathy...if extremely small. However, Louie was probably the most affected by his lecture against his better interests. Despite Flintheart being a nemesis of the McDuck Family, he raised some surprisingly strong points for the topic of family. Family can be big, complicated, frustrating, and incapable of being understood by others, but they can reach even the most impossible goals when all of the individual members come together. Divided they fall, united they stood.

_God, another way that Glomgold's hidden depths are starting to show. It's either a hint that I'm somehow trapped in another universe or that he's faking his way to the top through cunning manipulation. Kinda like me..._

Even so, Glomgold's speech managed to effect Big Time, Don Karnage, and even Ma Beagle...who realized _exactly_ what Flintheart was trying to do and responded in kind. "Who cares?! In half a hour, McDuck's gonna win the bet and become twice as rich and powerful!"

"All those resources!" Beaks realized in agreement.

"All those magical artifacts," Magica nodded, "None of us will be able to destroy him!"

"He will become...untouchable," Don Karnage glanced at Magica.

"What do we do, new Pa?" Big Time approached his new father figure.

"Uh..." Flintheart rubbed his beard in contemplation, "Even if I lose my fortune, we can still kill McDuck."

"Well then, your fortune goes to _his_ family," Ma Beagle refuted.

"Then we'll destroy his whole family," Glomgold fired back before letting an evil laugh.

Louie felt his eyes trail elsewhere, wondering how this predicament would solve itself. Then he saw it: a large portrait of Uncle Scrooge signing the deed to Duckburg as Grandpappy Beagle stood on the steps a few feet from him, cursing whilst waving his fist in the air. An idea began to grow in that little head of his as he squinted to get a closer look, but he never got a chance to act on it for Bouncer approached him from behind and held him in a chokehold. 

"What do we do with this one, new Pa?"

"Wait! Hold on!" Louie struggled to breathe under the weight of Bouncer's beefy arm, "I know how you can win the bet!"

"Really?" Magica strutted forward, "Pray tell."

A new idea grew while his eyes now focused on a nearby vase, "Think about how many of you are there. Scrooge is just one person. Your wealth combined is more than enough to equal his."

The group gave Louie's words some thought before exchanging glances with each other.

"Hmm," Don Karnage rubbed his chin, "It appears the words of this naked green one prove sound."

"Still no reason why we should spare him," Ma Beagle crossed her arms.

"Because... Because you need me! You can't just walk up to them and fight! You need someone who's able to look at all the angles!" Louie wasn't just talking to them, but also to himself. 

"Why would we need someone like you?" Beaks scoffed, "You said to think about how many of us are there. Two billionaire CEOs, a crime boss and her sons, a sky pirate, and a powerful sorceress. Do you think that a scrawny and weak little kid like you is gonna stand a chance against the richest duck in the world? If you thought yes, you'd better think again! Because you're nobody and that's all you'll ever be!"

Outside, Louie took Beaks's speech quite well. Given his penchant for sarcasm, mockery, and the occasional gallows humor, he was used to the others deriding him for his poor choices made in the long run. However, being chastised by a vain and superficial billionaire CEO with no familial relation to him whatsoever and a solid argument in spite of it? Inside, it made him break down completely under the assumption that he was utterly useless. The others seemed to agree as they exchanged glances again, this time ones of worry and concern for the young duckling, before turning their gaze towards Beaks, whose facial epxression revealed that even he had second thoughts about his poor choice of words. Alas, it was unsuited, untimely, and unworthy of any further mind-changing. In Louie's right mind, the revelation was all too clear that nobody wanted him around...and he should keep his end of that promise.

"You're right," Louie muttered under his breath before immediately reaching for the vase and smashing it onto Bouncer's head, causing the Beagle Boy to drop the young Duck triplet. He then sprinted upstairs and it was there that he remembered Scrooge's secret library and headed there instead, locking the door behind him and scanning the shelf for the dark red book that opened the secret passageway. When he did, he ran inside and pulled the door close with just enough light to see the staircase descending down into the abyss. With no more light to guide him through the darkness now, he had to rely on his sense of touch to make it downward. A few minutes later, he ended up walking face-first into a metal door. Locating the lever that pushed the door open, Louie walked through and an ungodly smell plagued his nose.

_Guh! The sewer? Scrooge calls this an escape route? Whatever. At least I'm out of the mansion._

Wrinking his nose, Louie searched for a proper way out straight away. He groaned in disgust as he carefully navigated the sewer system while hugging himself in fear, having forgotten his signature green hoodie back at the manor. Of course, his lack of clothes were the least of his worries at the moment.

_Oh God, what would the others say? What would Uncle Donald say? What would Uncle Scrooge say? What would...Della say? I allowed the family's most dangerous enemies to invade McDuck Manor and basically claim a victory, the first of many if they learned from their first mission and teamed up again. The security systems, Duckworth included, may have inflicted a fair share of damage on the villains, but I could've done more. I could've devised a series of traps for them to meet. I could've retreated while I still had the chance and called the police, but what good will it do? Back there revealed their chance to willingly-_

His thoughts and exit walk were rudely interrupting by a horrifying sight to the left of him. A blindfolded dog was floating a few feet from where he stood, having been bisected sometime ago. The attempt was taken by heart, but the perpetrator only managed to cut his torso and release his intestines, which were trailing not far behind. The display proved sickening to his stomach, and yet fascinating for his brain to register. To his credit, he never saw a corpse up close and personal before, one thing to check off his bucket list.

** _"Who are you?!"_ **

****Louie jumped at the voice and turned to face straight, wishing right away he didn't. 

Standing in front of him was another duck, older and grumpier than perhaps Scrooge himself. He donned a primarily yellow trenchcoat with a black-and-red cape, a red fedora, lime-green irises with a light-blue pupil, and a bloody chainsaw which he revved up in a bid to scare the already frightening duckling. Louie himself stumbled and tumbled down, backing away as the older duck advanced on him with much malice in his eyes and body language.

"I won't ask you again, boy. Who are you, what are you doing here...and why are you in a state of nature?"

"P-Please. Don't hurt or kill me," Louie tripped over his pleas for mercy, "I got lost trying to escape from..._very_, **_very_** bad people. They invaded my house with the intent of hunting down my Uncle Scrooge and..."

The duck's eyes arched together in surprise and he lowered his chainsaw, "Scrooge...? As in Scrooge McDuck...?" Watching the boy's head nod in response, he hummed for a minute before continuing on. "What is your name, young one?"

"L-Louie. Louie Duck."

"Tell me, Louis. Is Scrooge McDuck the acquaintance of a Launchpad McQuack?"

Louie nodded again, "He's an employee of his. He's either the driver or the pilot."

The older duck now let his chainsaw dangle by his side as he stared in the soul of this preteen intruder. 

** _Hmm. So the fainter managed to survive the destruction of the studio, no doubt along with Scrooge and his young friend. The three of them are my only links to that hack who replaced me and humiliated me! If I find them, then I find him._ **

His attention turned back to Louie, whose fear was reduced to uncertainty and then back again when the costumed duck grinned at him, unintentionally flashing his sharp teeth in the process.

_"Well, Louie Duck... Perhaps you can be of use to me..."_

* * *

_When Goldie appeared at the manor, she expected Scrooge to activate the security system and/or confront her directly with the intent of escorting her off the premises, flirting being a close second. What she did NOT expect was to find the manor almost destroyed, almost on fire, and almost nobody in sight. A purple-and-black metal aircraft sat on the front lawn, its captain nowhere in sight. Until he emerged from the blown-up front entrance with Glomgold, Ma Beagle, and a few others in sight. When they boarded the air vehicle and left the residence, Goldie emerged from her hiding place and ran inside, passing by a deactivated drone on the way._

** _"Hello! Is there anybody here?"_ **

_Suddenly, a ghost flew inside and rubbed his head in pain._

** _"Duckworth."_ **

** _"O'Gilt."_ **

** _"Where are Scrooge and the others?"_ **

** _"His family have taken a trip to Big Rock Candy Mountain to ensure his victory in a wager against Glomgold."_ **

** _"Glomgold, you say? Then why was he here moments earlier with a ragtag group of misfits?"_ **

_**"It would seem that Flintheart has wised up for once and expanded his social circle to further his plans."** Glancing around in dismay, Duckworth sighed. **"It has worked for the most part, had everyone been here in the present time."** He gasped in horrified realization and shot upstairs in equal desperation. _

** _"Master Llewelyn! Master Llewelyn, are you here?"_ **

_Gasping in horror, mirroring Duckworth, Goldie ran past him and into the boys' bedroom, her maternal instincts kicking into overdrive despite her better interests. Looking around, she only found everything in its intended place. Everything except...a red polo and cap. **Isn't this...Huey's? If Louie was here, what was he doing with his clothes...?** As soon as Duckworth entered, Goldie headed to Scrooge's bedroom after a moment of thought. Tearing the door open, she scanned both left and right before heading straight underneath his bed and digging for a wide suitcase, pulling it out and opening it up after deciphering the number code._

_Examining the selection of firearms before her, Goldie eventually selected a Glock 17 and a Glock 19 of the same Salient Arms Internation Tier 1 make. Loading ammunition before holstering her pistols, she locked the suitcase and carried it out the room with her._

_**"Come on,"** Goldie beckoned out to Duckworth, who followed her without hesitation to the unintended limousine. Both placing on their seatbelts, Goldie turned over the engine._

** _"You do realize by doing what you intend to do, you'll be breaking numerous laws in the process?"_ **

** _"I get my hands on Flintheart and his cronies, those laws won't be the only things I'll breaking..."_ **

_Goldie drove off in the direction of the Iron Vulture, anger and rage clouding her vision but fueling her determination and prompting her to drive faster. She and Duckworth were unaware of the danger to come, even if both were driven by paternal instincts, sheer wills, and the opportunity to atone. Nothing on Earth could stop them...for now._

** _Hang on, Sharpie... I'm coming..._ **


	4. Chapter 4

_"Mom, I know I messed up before...but seeing all the angles is what I'm good at."_

_"Okay, but you need to take care to not hurt the ones you love. And I'll be here to help you see the angles you can't..."_

Della's face donned a look of various emotions; the most prominent among them was sadness, worry, and regret. Her argument with her youngest son the night before shook her to the core, as both held valid points concerning the main instigation of the fight. While Louie did make a mistake that could've ended distastrously in any situation, he at least had the chance to make things right. She, on the hand, well... Let's see: Della Duck was a loving niece to Uncle Scrooge, a caring twin sister to Donald Duck, a dutiful daughter to Quackmore Duck and Hortense McDuck, and a benevolent, intelligent, and assertive adventurer/pilot. However, she was also a stubborn, headstrong, and insatiable adrenaline junkie who felt that she was not ready for the pressures of parenthood and placed her seeking of cheap thrills above her unhatched children. In addition, her pride ended up clouding her judgement when it came down to steal a rocket dubbed _The Spear of Selene_ with the intent of taking it for a joy ride. For her troubles, she ended up flying straight into a cosmic storm and subsequently crashing onto the Moon, where she was forced to amputate her left leg and eat a slice of humble pie to properly fix her rocket, which took about six years, give or take. When she eventually did return to Earth, she had to accept the fact that nearly a decade passed since she took the _Spear of Selene_, meaning that her unhatched children had indeed hatched and become a trio of preteen ducklings. The numerous attempts to make up for the missing years, while admirable and well-meaning, only made matters worse. 

The series of wacky misadventures ultimately culminated in the dreaded Timephoon, which compelled Louie to foolishly steal Gyro's Time Tub and use it to heist various treasures from the past as a means to fund his get-rich-quick scheme. When the deception was revealed, hateful words and disdainful refutations were said and couldn't be taken back, but her punishment was all for the sake of becoming a more responsible parent. Even so, the argument, which involved calling out Louie for his recklessness and almost disrupting the space time continuum, took a shocking and unexpected turn when the youngest Duck muttered those unforgettable seven words in response to her scolding:

_"I wonder **who** I got that from..."_

Just to rub salt in the wound, Della knew Louie was right and couldn't refute it in any way. In the end, Della grounded Louie until he learned a thing or two about responsibility and hubris, and Louie himself just nodded and stormed off to his room, but not before throwing his phone to her. He had taken out the battery some time ago; what he did with it was currently unknown.

"Mr. McDuck, I believe congratulations are in order."

Della's head shot up and turned to see Uncle Scrooge shaking hands with businesswoman Zan Owlson.

"Why, thnak you, Owlson. I'm looking forward to having you on the team."

"Obviously, I'm upset that I'll be forced to work with a successful, competent businessman who can make all my business dreams come true!" Owlson cleared her throat before continuing on with her faux solemn tone, "Very sad day. It's a _very_ sad day."

"Where is Flinty anyway?" Scrooge turned toward a stool with a card that read "Reserved For Loser". Della, meanwhile, felt her mind wander elsewhere as she headed downstairs.

"Mom, where are you going?" 

It was Dewey who asked a question and Della who answered it.

"I'm gonna head to the mansion to give Louie his hobo souvenir. I'm worried about him."

"You shouldn't."

And Huey who interjected.

"The DT-87 hasn't reported a single scheme in 24 hours. Everything should be fine."

_"Should be...?"_ Della murmured under her breath.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew from every direction, causing the documents Scrooge needed to win the wager to blast out of Owlson's hands. Launchpad and Beakley immediately shielded the children, a duty which Della would've fulfilled had she not been distracted by the large vessel that descended upon the Money Bin's front radius. Her shock turned to terror upon the cast list of Scrooge's enemies, ranging from Flintheart Glomgold, Magica De Spell, Ma Beagle, and then... 

_**Him?** Oh, no..._

"Not so fast, McDuck!"

"I knew this day would come!" Scrooge cursed with his fist, "Magica's grand revenge!"

The sorcereress herself smugly grinned and placed her right hand on her hip, knowing that old Scrooge knew who was the true threat here.

"What the-?!" Glomgold was clearly not amused, "I'm clearly standing in front!"

His group disembarked the _Iron Vulture_ just as Scrooge and his group descended the front stairs of the Money Bin. Everyone faced his or her counterpart as they prepared to do battle. Scrooge faced Glomgold (obviously), Beakley faced Ma Beagle, Huey, Dewey, and Webby faced Burger, Bouncer, and Big Time respectively, Beaks (albeit reluctantly) faced Launchpad, Owlson (surprisingly enough) faced Magica, and Della faced...

_Don Karnage..._

The infamous Sky Pirate himself narrowed his eyes at the female Duck who took her place beside Scrooge. If surprise was his main emotion, he certainly did a good job hiding it. _Good_, not **_great_**.

_Della Duck..._

"Hey! We can't all make declarations of hatred at the same time!" Glomgold pointed out to his colleagues who were doing just that, "and the name of vengeance shall be Glomgold!"

Fed up with the inconveniences, the group decided to bum-rush into the fight instead as Glomgold futilely called out not to yet. Don Karnage drew his sword and immediately gunned for Della, who instead went for Huey. She threw her oldest son up in order to provide him a literal boost and an opening to beat Bouncer's head around before turning to fight Burger in his place. 

"It's not my fault I'm a better showman!"

Her ears perked up at the sound of Dewey's distressed voice and saw Don Karnage slashing away while chasing him around. The duck saw red in an instant and charged the wolf with nothing but her bare hands, tackling him to the ground and attempting to relive him of his sword. 

"Mmm, Della. I should've known it was you. Still fierce as ever, hmm?"

"Don't push it, Karnage..."

Karnage tossed Della over him and recovered his sword just as she disarmed Ma Beagle (who was in the process of battling Beakley) of her crowbar and used it against her fight against him. Meanwhile, Scrooge found himself battling both Glomgold and Magica.

"Out of my way!" The latter tossed the former aside, "McDuck is mine!"

"I never promised that!" Glomgold responded by lunging from behind and placing Magica in a chokehold. Scrooge, however, was less focused on the petty squabble in front of him than what was to the right of him: Launchpad and Beakley shielding the kids while Della was busy fighting Don Karnage.

"Fine!" Magica hurled Glomgold down again, "We'll split him! But I get the top half."

"No!" Glomgold protested again as he tugged on her cape, "That's the part that screams!"

Ironically, he screamed when Magica kicked him away. When she turned back, she found Scrooge sprinting to his family and sneered in contempt, using a smokebomb to teleport in front of him.

"Not so fast!"

"You not so fast!" Glomgold slid in front on Magica, "I am the fastest!"

Della saw the situation unfold from the corner of her eyes, resulting in her being caught off guard by Karnage, who kicked and slashed her stomach in quick succession. 

"MOM!"

"DELLA!"

Della winced and clutched her wound in pain, but she propped herself up with the crowbar and stared at the wolf dead in the eyes. She saw some regret in his eyes, but she didn't let it stop her. Although taken aback, she wielded the blunt instrument and prepared to attack again before...

** _BEEP-BEEP!_ **

The family limousine sped onto the scene and out jumped a certain gold-haired female duck, who rolled and made a quite grace three-point landing. The vehicle, meanwhile, parked perfectly in front of the front stairs. Her sudden appearance surprised many, in particular Scrooge.

"Goldie?"

His surprise transitioned to panic when Goldie pulled a SAI Glock 17 and opened fire on Glomgold's group (specifically the ground near them), sending them running for the hills. Unfortunately for them, the demon butler who looked angrier than before returned with a vengeance and prevented the group from leaving. While Duckworth contended with them, Goldie reloaded and shot the sword out of Don Karnage's hands, allowing Della to snatch it up and pointed his own weapon at him. As before, she saw remorse in his eyes, if only a quiet tinge of it.

"Where is he, Flintheart?"

"Where is who?"

** _BANG!_ **

Glomgold yelled out in pain when Goldie discharged a round into his right leg, literally bringing him to his knees. She then grabbed him by the collar and held the pistol to his head, all the while Scrooge's group watched on in alarm.

"You know who, you bastard! Where is Louie?"

"Goldie, Louie should be at the manor," Della shouted her way into the conversation as she threw Ma Beagle's crowbar near her reach.

"I was _just_ at the manor, Della," Goldie shot back as she turned back to Glomgold, "and he wasn't there."

"What?" Della muttered under her breath as fear began to overwhelm her.

_Louie was my son...and I was supposed to protect him._

Eyeing the SAI Glock 19 holstered on Goldie's left side, Della marched over (still holding Karnage at swordpoint) and pulled it out and aimed it at the enemy faction.

"Where's my son...?"

"He ran upstairs."

Everybody turned to Mark Beaks, whose facial expression and body language were uncharacteristically sprinkled with grief and lament. 

"He ran upstairs and never looked back. Because...I said some words."

Della walked over and mirrored Goldie by pulling Beaks up by the collar and putting the gun to his temple. She derived no pleasure from the ensuing confrontation, but desperation overcame common sense in the most dire situations.

"What kind of words?"

"The kind of words that once said, you can't take back..."

* * *

_While Starling began working on the blueprints for their first mission, Louie stared in awe at the vast array of weapons laid on the table before him. Seeing one in action on movies, TV, and other media was one thing. Seeing an actual firearm up close and personal was a different thing entirely. It frightened him and enraptured him in equal measure, wondering exactly when or if he got to use one in these missions he was accompanying Starling with. _

_Taking up the nearest gun he saw - a Beretta 92FS pistol - he carefully examined the roscoe and recalled the firearms rules so it wouldn't accidentally go off or he wouldn't shoot himself. Spotting the corpse from earlier, Louie attempted a comfortable grip and aimed the gun at the body._

** _"It takes a while to get used to."_ **

_Louie jumped in alarm and turned to find Starling in the doorway._

** _"Sorry."_ **

** _"I get it. At least your finger's not on the trigger."_ **

_Starling took the gun and pointed to a mini switch on the slide. _

** _"This is the safety, so you don't have to worry about the gun accidentally going off. When I switch it on..._ _"_ **

_He then turned to the corpse and opened fire three times, causing blood to splurt out in every direction and Louie to visibly flinch._

** _"...the job you're on will go off without a hitch."_ **

** _"I-I see. Thank you, Mr. Starling."_ **

** _"Sure..."_ **

_Starling placed the Beretta back in its place and walked away to continue his blueprinting._

** _"Mr. Starling?"_ **

** _"Hmm?"_ **

** _"The job we're going to carry out... How do you know when it's going to go as well as we planned?"_ **

_. . ._

** _"I don't, actually. But sometimes you got to have a little faith."_ **

_He left again for real, leaving Louie to his own devices. The youngest Duck stared at the placed back gun, then at the blood-splattered corpse, then at the gun, and then back again. He walked over to the body and stared longingly at it..._

** _I won't let you down, Mr. Starling. _ **

_...before placed his hand on every one of the exit wounds and smearing blood on his stone-cold, determined face._

** _I won't fail you..._**


	5. Chapter 5

_"I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the pebble in the penny loafer of depravity! I am..."_

"Darkwing... Duck?"

Louie watched the surveillance videos playing before him, which depicted an adult duck older than Louie but younger than Mr. Starling donning a costume of primarily purple and black (with hints of blue and gold) fighting all manner of crime. What amazed him the most was neither the amount of fights he won nor the amount of praise he was heaped with by the citizens. No, what caught his attention was that the fact that every time Darkwing Duck got knocked down, he got right back up again.

_Much like the Nightingale..._

"Yes... The bee in my bonnet, the thorn in my side, the pain in my neck," Starling growled that last sentence, sending shivers down Louie's spine.

"I'm just gonna take a wild guess; is he the good guy?"

"No doubt about it, kid," Starling softened and sat up from his desk chair, "and he's the reason why I recruited you. If you're up to the mission, that is..."

"What do I need to do?"

"I need you to retrieve an object of grand importance. It is required for the next missions I have in store for you."

"What is it?"

"Let me answer your question with another question: can you punch through solid wall?"

"Uh... No."

"Try it anyway."

Louie bit his bottom lip before turning to face one section of the concrete wall and landing a blow...

"Ow!"

...and another blow...

"Ow!"

...and another blow...

"OW!"

...and one last blow until his fists were stained with blood.

"Ouch..."

"Here. Try these," Starling unlocked a small black tactical storage chest and handed it over to Louie, whose eyebrows arched in confusion when he peered inside. Inside were a trio of multicolored pills displayed in a row.

"Pills?"

"Red increases your adrenaline, white stabilizes it, and blue keeps you alive. I suggest taking all of them at once." 

"Are you sure I won't overdose?"

"I made sure. It took me a while to perfect the formula, but even longer to find a worthy test subject."

Louie contemplated Starling's words before shrugging and taking the pills as prescribed. He began to cough intensely before he was handed a glass of carbonated water, which he drank down to ease down the tablets a little easier. Nothing happened at first until he began to violently shake and his body began to heat up and cool down repeatedly. Rushing over to a mirror to check for any physical changes, his eyes reverted to first red, then white, next blue, and back again when he blinked. All of these flurries of emotions washed all over through him for only a moment, and just like that...

_I felt good..._

_No, bad..._

_I felt so good to be bad..._

"How do you feel?"

_. . ._

_"**Bad**..."_

With one swift motion, Louie turned to face the same section of concrete wall he had previously attempted to punch...and succeeded this time around. In fact, he completely _obliterated_ said concrete wall and left a crater in the center. He didn't even seem to realize his accompaniment until a few minutes later.

"Whoa... _I_ did _that_?"

"_The pills_ did...but you can't deny your part. That demonstration was a testament to their ability to enhance the strength, stamina, and regeneration capacities of the user. With these capsules, a single user and his or her team can accomplish anything from information extraction to kill missions."

"Do they have side effects?"

"Only two as far as I'm concerned. The first is you can be extremely dangerous and reckless to innocent civilians around you and even yourself if you don't learn to control your judgment and keep your emotions in check."

"And the second?"

"If you take a red pill without a blue pill, you _can_ die. As I mentioned earlier, the blue pill keeps you from dying and in a relaxed state."

"So these pills...are like experimental drugs?"

"Less like experimental drugs and more like experimental _serums_. I stole these from _very_ bad people who merely desired to rule the world and destroy everybody and _anybody_ who stood in their way."

"But...aren't you a villain too?"

"No doubt about it...but my cause of becoming one is a far noble intention."

Louie again contemplated Starling's words and realized that they both had more in common than he believed. Both were people who were apparently mistreated by the loved ones they held dear. They both had big dreams ahead of them, but they were constantly undermined by their family and/or friends seemingly because their ambitions outgrew their own. Yes, it was always pleasant to have aspirations as long as they were small-scale as first before they gradually grew in size. However, they both aimed high and shot for the stars, petering out long before they exited the atmosphere. His mind then trailed back to the Timephoon Incident the day before. His desparation to make a quick buck outweighed proper judgment, leading him to create a time paradox and almost endanger not only his family, but the entire universe as well.

_All I wanted was to be rich...but my method of achieving it was very poor. Now I'm destined down a dark path because of my greed. If this be my fate...in order to protect my family...so be it._

"Maybe..." Louie nodded, "What do I have to do?"

"The real question is..." Starling softly smirked before walking over to a display case that was draped with a black tarp, "What are you _prepared_ to do?"

Pulling the tarp off, the case revealed a jet black tactical combat suit fitted with charcoal black body armor. Accompanying the suit was a black helmet with customized lenses, soot black armored combat boots, and a pair of silver weaponized armored gauntlets. The left shoulder was fitted with six shotgun shells, the right shoulder was fitted with three rifle cartridges, the right leg was fitted with one pistol holster, and the left leg was fitted with another pistol holster and a knife holster; speaking of which, two knife holsters and a holster for a subcompact pistol was fitted onto the front of the armored vest.

"To serve you, Mr. Starling."

Starling nodded and turned toward his desk drawer to retrieve a file, which he handed to Louie for him to read. Inside was a photo of two ducks of different ages. The first was a big, grey-haired, and white-skinned duck of middle age wearing a brown tweed jacket, a green-and-black flannel shirt, blue pants, and circular glasses. The second was a much younger, red-haired, green-eyed, and dark-skinned duck wearing a dark green jacket, a purple hooded sweatshirt, black pants, and grey sneakers. _Man, she's pretty..._ A third photo revealed a large device that shared an uncanny resemblance to a giant-ass laser gun.

"Who are they and what is this?"

"They are your first mission. Meet Professor Thaddeus Waddlemeyer and his granddaughter Gosalyn. The Professor created a machine called the Waddlemeyer Ramrod as seen in the third photo. From what I've heard, it is a trachio-specific device that disrupts gravitational bonds and allows manipulation on a mirco or macro scale."

_. . ._

"What?"

"Oh, right. It's essentially a floatation device for people and objects...as in it makes them float."

"Ah. So where is it?"

"Rumor has it that he hid it somewhere here in Duckburg. We're not the only ones after the device," Starling flipped to a photo of a literal larger-than-life bull with a blue steer, a cream muzzle, white horns and eyes with black pupils, lavender circles, and thick black eyebrows. He wore a red business coat with vertical gold buttons above a white dress shirt, a yellow necktie, lavender dress pants, and brown dress shoes.

"Yeesh. Quite a looker, huh?"

"Yeah, he's an ugly little fucker," Starling muttered that last part, "but that bull is Taurus Bulba, one of the notorious crime bosses in St. Canard. He is sadistic, arrogant, and too eager to kill anybody in his way to get his way, from police officers to politicians to even children."

"Sounds like he's gotta be stopped."

"And we're the ones who gotta and gonna stop him."

Louie nodded, "When do we start?"

Starling's smirk grew wider, "We just did."


	6. Chapter 6

_"Okay, first impression is the only impression. You gotta nail this."_

The fight came to an early end after it became clear that the youngest member of the Duck Trio was in danger, leading the two groups to put aside their differences for now and find him. Everybody was seated in the Iron Vulture's cabin that now housed a dour and solemn mood while Don Karnage, Della, and Launchpad piloted the plane. The wolf captain kept shooting looks of concern at the trio's mother, specifically the section where he slashed his sword. Regret was swirling around, but he didn't show it. 

"So... When did you get back?"

"Just a few days ago," Della spoke in an icy tone, evidently sharing the same sentiment, "I was stuck on the Moon for 10 years plus and return to Earth to find that my family is in shambles...and it's all my fault."

Due to not having the most tight bond with either of his parents, Don Karnage had trouble expressing sympathy for Della but tried it anyway. "It's not completely your fault. You do what you have to do."

"I appreciate the thought, Karnage, but if you're trying to get on my good side, you have another thing coming."

_. . ._

"It was worth a try."

In the cabin, Uncle Scrooge was doing his best to comfort the ducklings while Huey was contacting a close ally.

"Hello? Yes. Listen, I'm calling because this is an emergency. My younger brother Louie is missing and I was wondering if you can help with the search. You can? Okay, thank you. We'll see you later."

Hanging up, Webby peered over Scrooge's shoulder in curiosity. "Who was that, Huey?"

"Officer Cabrera. I called her because I figured we would need all the help we could get."

"Good thinking, Huey."

Meanwhile, Dewey slipped away from the following conversation in favor of eavesdropping the continuing one between his mother and one-sided rival. Nearing the cockpit, he pressed his ear against the door and listened:

** _"Why are you avoiding me?"_ **

_"We both know why. Your ego and narcissism got in the way."_

** _"My ego? Don't forget that it was your ambition to travel to the Moon to explore new frontiers!"_ **

_"I didn't think I would get lost on the Moon!"_

** _"You took off your ship for a joy ride during a meteor storm, did you not?"_ **

_. . ._

_"Yes, I did...but that gives you no right to criticize my actions when you have some to rival my own!"_

** _"I have every right! Your son stole my flagship!"_ **

_"So it made perfect sense to come after him with murder in your eyes?"_

** _"Dewey called himself the greater showman! Him!"_ **

_"This is **exactly** what I'm talking about! Stop trying to place the blame on anyone else but yourself and start taking a little responsibility for once! Yes, what Dewey did was wrong, but let me handle it!"_

** _"Gladly! After all, he is your son!"_ **

_"What if he was yours too?"_

_. . ._

** _"W-What?"_ **

_"What if Dewey was your son too?"_

_. . ._

** _"Dewey Duck is not my son."_ **

_"I'm saying what if he was? Would you go after him then?"_

_. . ._

** _"I-I..."_ **

_. . ._

_"That's what I thought..."_

_. . ._

** _BOOM!_ **

Suddenly, an explosion vibrated all over the ship, catching everybody off guard and prompting them to hold on. In turn, Dewey stumbled backwards and over the railing down below. 

"DEWEY!" His family cried out in distress. The fall wasn't a particularly long one, but it still hurt like hell. Groaning in pain, the middle sibling had barely enough time to register what had happened before the aircraft took a nosedive and began plummeting down. Peg Leg Meg noticed this as well as Webby's grappling gun from the corner of her eye. Thinking quickly, she detatched her seatbelt and ran down the cabin, snatching said gun along the way, and managed to reach the disoriented Dewey. Holding him tight, she fired the hook into the nearest seat and, using the retracting mechanism, pulled themselves towards it. Pulling him up, she then placed them both on their respective chairs and secured the seatbelts.

A few moments later, the Iron Vulture managed to pull up before skidding against a surface and slowing down. Based on the motion of swaying, the group deduced that the surface was water, specifically the ocean. 

"Honestly, you couldn't ask for a better ship," Magica shook her head.

"Or a better landing platform," Glomgold nauseatingly agreed.

"I'm think I'm going to be sick," Mark Beaks clamped his mouth in desparation.

"You're not the only one," Ugly Mug concurred and mimicked his action.

Uncle Scrooge made sure the young ones (specifically Dewey) were all right before Launchpad emerged from the cockpit holding...something in his arms.

"Good Lord, Launchpad. What did you do this time?"

"It wasn't him, Uncle Scrooge," Della and Don Karnage followed after him, "We were the ones flying the plane."

"Until that infernal contraption smashed through the windshield!"

Scrooge and the others examined the device when the eldest duck realized: "This infernal contraption...is my satellite. A defensive satellite, to be exact. This is not good."

"And why is a satellite important to you?" Ma Beagle crossed her arms in contempt.

"Because, Catherine, this defensive satellite is just one of many I have deployed in the atmosphere in case of an...otherworldly threat."

"You mean..." Webby bit her bottom lip, "Like aliens and extraterrestrials?"

"But that's impossible!" Huey interjected, "The existence of aliens and extraterrestrials have been disproven as hoaxes and ruses!"

"What about the Terra-Firmians?"

"The Terra-Firmians are different, Webby! They're Earth-based!"

"You don't know that!"

Dewey wasn't paying attention to Huey and Webby's petty squabbles and instead shot split-second glances at both his mother and Don Karnage. 

_I can't believe it, not one bit. Don Karnage and Della actually dated at one point in each other's lives? And there's a possibility that the sky pirate captain is...my father? No, it can't be. If so, that would make him Huey and Louie's father as well, and that's a high doubt that either of them inherit one of his skills or personality traits._

Della caught notice of Dewey just as he turned away. She pretended not to, though, and made a mental note for later.

"Okay, we get it! Aliens exist! Moving on!" Mark Beaks waved his hands, "Now what?"

"Primarily defensive in nature, this satellite is just one of many," Scrooge explained before deducing, "That means that the other satellites must be in the ocean. But how?"

** _BUZZZZ!_ **

_"Della...?"_

** _BUZZZZ!_ **

_"Della...!"_

** _BUZZZZ!_ **

_"Della, are you there...?"_

The group turned toward the cockpit's radio system, but no one's head turned quite as quickly as Della's did. She sprinted towards and climbed the leader to the cockpit in order to respond to the message. A voice familiar to only her, Uncle Scrooge, Huey, Dewey, Webby, Don Karnage, Launchpad, and Goldie followed soon after.

_"This is Lieutenant Penumbra for her friend, Della Duck. All your defense satellites just went down for some reason! Lunaris is bringing an army to destroy Earth! Della, he's coming for your family!"_

The eight of them gasped in horror. Della didn't know what was more shocking: Lunaris was arriving with an army to destroy Earth after everything that's happened...or Penny ultimately saw her as a friend after everything that's happened.

* * *

** _"Close your eyes, little girl blue...  
Inside of you lies a rainbow...  
Yellow, Blue, Red, Blue, Purple too, Blue, Purple, and Green, then the Yellow..."_ **

_The duckling murmured this under her breath as she attempted to navigate the laboratory and escape the men after her. It was her coping mechanism, a lullaby her grandfather used to sing to her in distressing times. He still did to this day, but the last time she was sung the song was the last time she ever saw him. Last night, as he finished the lullaby and left her bedroom, he informed his granddaughter that he had to stay overnight to work on a secret project, making it the last time she would ever hear his voice._

_ **"Hey! There she is!"** _

** _"Grab her!"_ **

_Gasping in terror, she took off in a sprint and attempt to escape her pursuers. With twists and turns around every corner, the dimly lit surroundings illuminated only by damaged fluorescent tubes, and the possibility of anyone and everyone with a weapon lurking with a goal in mind, it was clear that she was over her head when facing the conclusion of fighting her way out. Nonetheless, she had to escape before-_

** _BANG!_ **

** _"ARGH!"_ **

_Screeching to a stop and sharply turning around, she watched in horror, shock, and (surprisingly enough) amazement as her would-be kidnappers were taken down one by one in gruesome fashion._

** _"Who the hell is that-?"_ **

** _SLASH!_ **

_Their silhouettes etched onto the wall thanks to the aforementioned fluorescent lights, she watched as an unknown figure shot, stabbed, slashed, and basically tear each one of the henchmen apart. Deducing that the figure had the shadow of a child, possibly around her age, the very thought scared her._

** _"Oh, fuck-!"_ **

** _BOOM!_ **

_One unfortunate lackey was punched(?) into the wall a few feet in front of her, unintentionally scaring her and prompting her to yelp in response. Clamping her hands over her bill in realization for a moment's notice, she lowered them and allowed her jaw to hung agape in horror. From what she could tell, his mouth was leaking with blood, his body was covered with cuts, and his chest...had a hole in it, much like the wall he was punched(?) into._

** _"Don't move!"_ **

_She looked up to find the supposed perpetrator walking towards her. Confirming her suspicions, the figure was a preteen individual donning a jet black tactical combat suit fitted with charcoal black body armor. Accompanying the suit was a black helmet with customized lenses, soot black armored combat boots, and a pair of silver weaponized armored gauntlets. The left shoulder was fitted with six shotgun shells, the right shoulder was fitted with three rifle cartridges, the right leg was fitted with one pistol holster, and the left leg was fitted with another pistol holster and a knife holster; speaking of which, two knife holsters and a holster for a subcompact pistol was fitted onto the front of the armored vest. The gauntlets were stained with blood, confirming her second suspicion that the masked figure literally punched the villain to death. With nowhere left to go and being frozen with fear, she could do nothing but comply and raise her hands in innocence._

_Raising and aiming a Mossberg 500 at her, the figure narrowed its eyes at her from beneath the helmet._

** _"Are you Gosalyn Mallard?"_ **

_. . ._

** _"Uh...what?"_ **

** _"Answer the question."_ **

_. . .  
_

** _"Yes. Why?"_ **

_The figure lowered its shotgun and smirked, slinging the firearm over its shoulders._

** _"Good. Because it means we're on the same page."_ **

_Slowly approaching her while raising its own hands in innocence, the figure unmasked itself to reveal a white duckling with his hair parted to the left (right from her point-of-view). Gosalyn couldn't tell whether or not the smile was genuine, but she knew one thing: the duckling standing before her was actually kind of cute._

_'**Wait, are you insane, Gosalyn? This kid literally just killed about five or ten people just to get to you. Then again...was he protecting me? If so, why?**'_

** _"Who...who are you?"_ **

_. . ._

_Louie merely shrugged._

** _"I'm the bad guy."_ **


	7. Chapter 7

** _"Your little scheme to bypass the present almost cost us our future. This all stops now. You are grounded! No schemes, no treasures, and Louie Incorporated is done! Understand?"_ **

** _"Look, let me clean up, okay? Uncle Scrooge? Mrs. B? Come on!"_ **

_Louie opened his eyes and frowned at the memory. He hated himself that day for displaying what Mr. Starling called "weakness" not just in front of his family but a few friends as well. He eventually came around to view it as a lesson to be learned, however. He just needed to learn how to become harder...better...faster...stronger. Even with the experiment serums Mr. Starling supplied him with, he saw them as a downright storage of distinguished depressants and sufficient stimulants in pill form. He made a mental note to train traditionally whenever he could._

_From Duckberg (where the machine was supposed to be located), St. Canard was across Audubon Bay, but that didn't mean the ride there was short. Six hours was nothing to slouch at, but Mr. Starling suggested that he get some rest before performing the mission so he didn't wear himself out. That gave Louie the time he was given to think. Not just about the mission to come, but the reactions he would get from his family. The most logical and understandable would be that of horror and dread. They would finally see him for who he is and still was: the evil triplet._

_But was he really?_

** _"Look, your plans, your schemes, they only lead to bad things for your family. If you want to be a part of this family, you've got to stop..."_**

_He did join forces with who was ostensibly a bad guy, but this particular guy didn't seem to be too bad. It was true that he was cranky and bad-tempered, but he immediately assumed that it was because of his old age and the fact he had to deal with a younger person as his sidekick, making it a plausible excuse. Plus, he was seemingly affable when he did get to know him better and he reciprocated when he received complete cooperation from him. Giving him enhanced pills and helpful tips during his training process may have also shaped his opinion of him. How long would it take, though, for him to go off the deep end? How long would it take for his true colors to shine through?_

_He decided to set those thoughts aside for another time; now, he was getting incredibly sleepy._

* * *

_It was amazing how time flies._

_Louie woke up to the sound of a ship horn blowing and he reluctantly pulled himself up, gently pushing the dark green blanket off him._

_. . ._

** _Wait, I don't remember using a blanket..._ **

_. . ._

_ **"Louis!"** _ _ Mr. Starling called from the upper deck, _ _ **"Are you up, boy?"** _

_ **"I'm up, sir,"** _ _ Louie groggily called out before clearing his throat, _ _ **"I'm up..."** _

_Wrapping the blanket around himself, Louie ambled out of the room and toward the upper deck. Joining Mr. Starling and taking a good look at Saint Canard, it was difficult to do so due to being late at night. The few glimpses of the city he did get was nothing short of hauntingly magnificent. Besides the long, large bridge that allowed travelers to cross, the city gave off the impression that it was comfortably resting on an island._

** _"Wow..."_ **

_ **"It's something, isn't it?"** _ _ Mr. Starling concurred with a nod, _ _ **"It's a honest shame that it's a hellhole for some of the despicable delinquents ever to walk the Earth."** _

_ **"But that's what we're here for, right?"** _

_ **"We'll see. You need to focus on the mission at hand. You may be able to kill some of the criminals there."** _

_Louie frowned before nodding, _ _ **"You're right. I need to get ready. Where's my..."** _

_ **"Your uniform is down in the lower deck,"** _ _ Mr. Starling replied without taking his eyes off the wheel, _ _ **"There's a secret compartment in the closet with your costume, weapons, and other equipment; the code is 01317740."** _

_ **"Wow,"** _ _ Louie was taken aback, _ _ **"You were prepared."** _

_ **"I'm motivated. Now hurry and get ready."** _

_ **"Yes, sir."** _

_As Louie headed downstairs, he stopped and turned back around._

** _"Wait... What will we do then?"_ **

** _"You'll find the professor and his granddaughter, bringing them to safety. I'll find the machine and bring it back to the ship so things are made easier for you."_ **

** _"And you're not going to come with me?"_ **

** _"Not now. In these circumstances, finding the machine is much harder than finding the person who made it. Even so, I still find to find a pier to dock in."_ **

_. . ._

** _"Oh. Right. Well... I'll go on ahead."_ **

** _"That would be wise."_ **

_Louie turned back to leave, but he was stopped by Mr. Starling._

** _"Louis."_ **

** _"Yes?"_ **

_When Louie turned back, Mr. Starling worn a smile on his face. It was incredibly small, but no less proud._

** _"Good luck."_ **

_Despite himself, Louie shot him a smile too._

** _"You too."_ **

_With that, Louie headed back down as Mr. Starling watched on and turned away. His expression considerably saddened as he continued piloting the houseboat while searching for a nearby dock. Sighing in melancholy, he attempted his best grimace but it came out a little crooked._

** _Louis is a special one, it would seem..._ **

_Pulling the closet door open, Louie parted a clump of clothes and noticed the keypad at the very back. Remembering the password Mr. Starling gave him, he pressed the list of numbers in the exact order given and in a moment, the clothes parted completely and his uniform fitted in a glass case made its way toward him along with two racks of weapons. One consisted of the traditional firearms and their accompanying ammunition; the other consisted of more melee weapons such as blades and blunt objects. Opening the glass case, he retrieved his uniform and pills and stripped out of his old clothes to slip into his new ones. The gauntlets were customized to transform into armguards in the case should he wield a firearm or bladed weapon. For his firearms, he chose a 3rd Generation Glock 17, a 3rd Generation Glock 19, a SIG-Sauer P226R, a Beretta 92FS, a Mossberg 500 Persuader, and a M4A1 Carbine with an Aimpoint CompM2 red dot optic and a Knight's Armament railed handguard. For his blades, he chose a Gerber Mark II Combat Knife and a Benchmade SOCP Dagger._

_Out of the 30 pills inside the box, Louie took nine pills (three for each) and slipped six into his left pocket; the three he would save in his right pocket when he got there. Cracking his neck and knuckles, he then slipped on the mask with built-in earpiece before examining himself in the mirror. Gone was the carefree, laid-back, and often self-serving trickster of the Duck Family. Here was the clever, resourceful, and incredibly strong enforcer of Mr. Starling. Of course, that was him resorting to profiling and overconfidence, something his boss did not take to kindly based on new reports, previous and recent._

_Louie felt the boat slow and glanced out the window to Mr. Starling parking beside a pier while getting two strings of rope ready. Lassoing them around a pair of wooden pilings, he gave him a thumbs up and he returned it with one of his own as he prepared to take off. However, a sharp whistle from Mr. Starling stopped him from doing so. When Louie turned around, he watched him point a remote at the boat, revealing a secret compartment on the side. The door opened up to reveal a black-and-white electric motorcycle with a small screen that sped out and right in front of him. A smile grew on his face as he boarded on._

_ **"The motorcycle is touch-activated,"** _ _ Mr. Starling spoke through an earpiece of his own, "_ _ **Place your hand on the screen and it will give you directions to the Waddlemeyer Laboratory."** _

_Louie did as he was told and the screen displayed the directions from St. Canard Pier to the Waddlemeyer Laboratory, a 20-minute drive at the most if one included traffic. But he was essentially a vigilante now. He couldn't care less about traffic during a mission like this. He revved up the engine and sped off towards his destination._

_When he arrived, Louie scaled the building standing in front of him before checking all the weapons he had on hand. The front doors were wide open, their hinges damaged and glass sprinkled everywhere. Someone else had beaten him to the punch. Drawing his full-sized Glock first, he took too many twists and turns for him to count as he navigated the significantly darkened corridors of the building._

** _"Close your eyes, little girl blue..._ **   
** _Inside of you lies a rainbow..._ **   
** _Yellow, Blue, Red, Blue, Purple too, Blue, Purple, and Green, then the Yellow..."_ **

_On the last row of twists and turns, Louie slowed down as his ears perked up as the sound of a young girl crying._

** _Gosalyn..._ **

_Louie slowly advanced, turned the corner...and felt his heart race. Standing there in the darkness illuminated by a fluorescent light tube was a duckling his age with brown feathers, green eyes, and dark red hair worn in pigtails; she wore lavender pajamas with a pink collar and sleeve cuffs in addition to magenta Converse sneakers. With no socks visible, it was clear she had to put them on the spur of the moment._

** _"Hey! There she is!"_ **

** _"Grab her!"_ **

_Gosalyn gasped in terror as she took off in a sprint and attempted to escape her pursuers. Louie let said pursuers go first so he could trail them, holstering his Glock and reaching for his Mossberg 500 and Gerber Mark II instead. Taking the three pills in his right pocket all at once, he picked up the pace and readied his weapons._

_Slashing the back of the nearest person's thighs, Louie clamped a single hand over his mouth and stabbed him in the back of his neck before blowing a hole in his actual back._

** _BANG!_ **

** _"ARGH!"_ **

_Hearing the shotgun blast a few inches from them, the henchmen turned to find a now smirking Louie, who was glad that he got their attention._

** _"Who the hell is that-?"_ **

** _SLASH!_ **

_In one quick motion, Louie sprinted forward and slashed the throat of the first poor unfortunate soul who dared to raise his gun at him. As his eyes widened in horror and he spasmed violently, the henchman attempted to stop the bleeding and fell to his knees in the process. Meanwhile, the other henchmen rushed forward, abandoning their mission of locating their intended target and focusing on killing their new one. This proved much easier said than done, as the henchmen were armed only with guns; Louie was armed with guns, knives, and an armored uniform...with retractable blades, which he used to devestating effect in conjunction with his aforementioned weapons. Often times, he would use their own weapons against their own owners, not only to taunt them, but also to conserve his own ammunition. He would even use the owners themselves as shields, them being riddled with bullets in his place. As much as he was starting to love a good fight, he knew that letting this particular one drag out would cost him a lead on Gosalyn._

_From that moment on, Louie stopped messing with the increasingly aggravated henchmen and went in for the kill. Shooting, stabbing, slashing, and basically tearing each one of the henchmen apart was par the course for him. The last henchmen, a burly figure resembling a Beagle Boy (specifically Bouncer) with a machete that materialized seemingly out of thin air, did present a menacing challenge, but even he could only last a little longer against Louie, who decided to test out his weaponized gauntlets for the first time. And who couldn't be more appropriate?_

** _"Oh, fuck-!"_ **

** _BOOM!_ **

_The gauntlets proved to be more powerful than Louie expected them to be, as they not only sent the unlucky henchmen flying into the wall a few feet in front of him, but also left a big, bloody crater in his chest as well. For a moment, he felt completely exhilarated. The other?_

_He felt completely horrified...if only for a moment._

** _Why should I feel remorse? I'm the bad guy, they're the worser guys._ **

_Shaking his head, Louie continued with his mission. Retracting his gauntlet blades and reloading his Mossberg 500, Louie aimed his shotgun and cleared the corners as he saw Gosalyn continue to stare in horror at the henchman in the hole in the wall with a hole in his chest. He felt guilty now, but he could worry about that later._

** _"Don't move!"_ **

_Gosalyn turned to find Louie and raised her hands up. Narrowing his eyes beneath the helmet, he scanned her up and down._

** _"Are you Gosalyn Mallard?_ _"_ **

_A formerly fearful Gosalyn now shot him a brief look of utter bewilderment._

** _"Uh...what?"_ **

_Louie huffed indignantly._

** _"Answer the question."_ **

_That frightened expression returned on Gosalyn's face as she nodded quickly._

** _"Yes. Why?"_ **

_Louie now smirked as he lowered his shotgun and slung it over his shoulders before unmasking himself to gain her trust._

** _"Good. Because it means we're on the same page."_ **

_He could tell that Gosalyn thought he was cute, but thought against making that direct statement._

** _"Who...who are you?"_ **

_Merely shrugging with a chuckle, Louie responded with:_

** _"I'm the bad guy. Hired to protect you from the worser guys...like Taurus Bulba."_ **

_Her eyes widening in surprise, Gosalyn managed to continue._

** _"You know him?"_ **

** _"His reputation precedes him. I never met him in person. Have you?"_ **

_A moment's hestitation overwhelmed her now before she responded with:_

** _"He's a friend...or rather, he was a friend..."_ **


	8. Chapter 8

_"No. Not this time."_

_"What? But I really am sorry! We hugged and everything!"_

_"I watched your brothers blink out of existence because you wanted a shortcut to riches!"_

_"I said I was sorry!"_

Scrooge's group rendezvoused back at the damaged McDuck Manor and gathered any and all weapons they had in stock. The adults did most of the actual weapons checking while the kids did most of the gathering. As she got her hands on a Glock 19 and a Heckler & Koch P2000SK, Della noticed Dewey barely helping out, opting instead to idle around with a troubled look on his face as he fiddled with his fingers. That troubled look was the very same worn on the Iron Vulture, causing the mental note Della had made a few hours prior to be recalled full force.

Before she could act upon it, though, a car came down the driveway and out stepped Officer Cabrera with Fenton in tow.

"Officer Cabrera! Fenton!"

The two of them spotted Scrooge bolt forward.

"I'm glad you two came! We need all hands on deck!"

"Under the right circumstances, we'll most certainly contribute."

"Umm..." Fenton fiddled with his fingers, "What are hands?"

"Over here!"

The two of them saw Huey and Webby bolt forward to join in.

"Huey! Webby!" Fenton, in turn, approached them, "My mamá said you called?"

"Louie is missing," Huey explained.

"And an alien invasion is impending!" Webby flailed her arms about.

"A-Alien invasion?" Fenton's eyes widened.

"That's hard to explain," Della approached, "But let me just say from the bottom of my heart: my bad."

"What for?"

"The alien invasion is being led by someone who I thought was a friend of mine. Again, I'm sorry for that."

"Yes, but apologizing won't take back a mistake made," Magica huffed, "I learned that the hard way."

"Can we please just focus on the mission?" Beakley approached this time, "Bickering amongst ourselves won't help a bit."

"I agree," Officer Cabrera nodded, "McDuck, what's our first move?"

"Inside," Scrooge beckoned, "We need to split into three groups and expand them to every available ally we have."

"Assuming they wish to get involved to begin with..." Magica muttered under her breath.

As the group entered the Manor to begin the layout of their plan, none of them but Della noticed Dewey quietly slip away from the conversation. Something was bothering him, but she had no idea what. Unless...

Did...did Dewey hear the conversation between me and him?

Her eyes widening in terror, Della excused her from the plan at hand and went to find her middle son. Dewey himself was in his room, sulking in his room but daring himself not to cry. The idea of the very same Sky Pirate he fought against being his biological father was a mixed bag. On one hand, the captain of the Sky Pirates did try to kill him on occasion...but because of a reason he himself was responsible for. On the other hand, he never knew his biological father while growing up so far; Uncle Donald, Uncle Scrooge, and Mrs. Beakley were the only parental figures he knew thus far. Caught in the middle was the event of what would happen if they were reunited one day.

If Don Karnage was my real father...

"Dewey...?"

Falling off his bed and turning towards the doorway, Della was there grasping her left arm with her right hand.

"Mom...?"

"I... I take it you heard our conversation?"

"Y-Yeah. Is... Is it true then? Is Don Karnage my father?"

Della glanced around in worry before sighing and hanging her head in resignation, "I...don't know, actually."

She then took a place beside him on the bed as she continued, "I did date him for a while, though."

"Really?" Dewey was both appalled and surprised at himself, "Umm... What did you see in him?"

"Well, he was charming. He was goofy. He was a gentleman. He was a charming, goofy gentleman. And a little handsome, I'll admit..."

Judging by the way his mother was sighing dreamily, Dewey was now just appalled.

"Umm... we are talking about the very same Don Karnage, right?"

Coming to her senses, Della realized the words that were coming out of her own mouth and shook her head.

"Oh! Yeah, of course! But that was a long time ago! Before..."

"Before you went missing on the moon?"

"Yeah. We are young, reckless, and in love. We both knew it wouldn't last, so...we decided to make the best of it for as long as we could."

"Did you really move on from him?"

_. . ._

"Almost. I'm still working on that part...and the part where becoming a better mom is a given."

Dewey hugged Della's side, "I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're Della Duck."

Della chuckled and returned the hug, "I wish I could be more..."

Suddenly, a loud and large rumble derailed their respective trains of thought, as well as that of the others' downstairs. Exchanging confused glances, Dewey and Della took off, the former following the latter to Scrooge's chambers since it was one of the only rooms with a clear view of the city and the room that was the nearest. What they saw outside the window was nothing short of frightening.

A total of not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven, but eight golden rockets touching down on the city of Duckberg. Dewey was horrified because of the implication of the alien invasion arriving much sooner than later, Della was horrified because of the all too familiar design on their rockets.

_The Spear of Selene..._

** _"CURSE ME KILTS!"_ **

Dewey and Della jumped a few inches into the air before turning around to find Scrooge and Mrs. Beakley standing there in the doorway watching with them.

** _"IS THAT THE SPEAR OF SELENE?!"_ **

"Uncle Scrooge..." Della gritted her teeth into a guilty smile, "remember how great you felt when I came back from the Moon after all these years? All the unconditional love? Well...I need you to really hold on to that feeling..."

Scrooge groaned and beckoned the both of them to follow him and Mrs. Beakley to the living room, where the others were waiting.

"So what was that, Mr. McD?" Launchpad filed in before the others.

"The first sound of trouble, Launchpad," Scrooge turned on the TV as the others took a seat on the couch, remained standing, or simply leaned against the wall to watch the special news report.

_The Channel 3 News logo flashed by for a split second before showing Roxanne Featherly and her cameraman in front of a growing crowd of bystanders who were watching a rocket land. Below, the on-screen text read **"Rocket Lands In Duckberg."**_

_**"This just in: A total of eight rockets have landed in the City of Duckberg,"** Roxanne reported as the on-screen text below now read **"Earth Is Doomed!"**_

The occupants were now rendered perplexed by what is happening now, but Della rubbed her sleeve in shame. Dewey grasped her right hand with his left, while Don Karnage's hardened expression softened and rested his right hand on her left shoulder to reassure her. While she could've shrugged him off, Della could acknowledge the comforting gesture.

_**"The rockets touched down just minutes ago," **Roxanne continued on, **"It's still not clear what they want, but authorities urge everyone to remain calm..."**_

_Unfortunately, the on-screen text seemed content on contradicting her relieving report as it immediately flashed to **"EVERYONE PANIC! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"**_

_Needless to say, a disappointed Roxanne was not amused as she scoffed in disbelief._

_ **"Ugh. Come on, Carl..."** _

"We should go," Officer Cabrera turned to Fenton, "I have a feeling the Duckberg PD want us to investigate."

"Don't worry, Mr. McDuck," Fenton shot a reassuring smile towards Scrooge, "We'll keep in touch and send you new info as we get it."

"Try to get through to Gyro too, lad."

"Will do!"

* * *

Around the same time a brown dog with bushy hair did, a costumed Fenton and his mother arrived at the scene of the "crime", prompting the crowd to murmur in equal parts excitement and uncertainty.

_**"All of Duckberg watches as authorities send in their top man,"** Roxanne reported as she beckoned her cameraman to zoom in closer._

Exchanging uncertain glances of their own, Officer Cabrera watched Gizmoduck...her son...advance carefully toward the rocket.

"Okay, Fenton, it's just first contact with life from beyond the stars," Gizmoduck was starting to have second thoughts himself, "Momentous. Cosmically historic. Totally manageable."

Clearing his throat, Gizmoduck knocked on one of the rocket's fins as if it were a door. Indeed, it opened up to reveal a ramp as he moved back. A purple-skinned figure walked down with her hands clasped together as the spectators took pictures.

"Uh...hi! We're Earth," Gizmoduck nervously extended a tin of pie to Palus, "And you are?"

Palus took the pie and began to eat it, taking a liking to this particular favor.

_The on-screen text now read **"They come in peace...of pie?"**_

Suddenly, Palus gasped and began to reach behind her back, an act which immediately drew the suspicion of Officer Cabrera. Her suspicion was proven correct when the alien drew a laser gun at Fenton.

_ **"GIZMODUCK, LOOK OUT!"** _

Officer Cabrera tackled Fenton out of the line of fire, the blast instead destroying a police cruiser. As the crowd clamored in consternation, more of the alien lifeforms disembarked of the rocket as Palus proudly proclaimed:

_ **"We are the mighty! We are the MOON!"** _

More and more officers arrived at the scene and drew the Moonlanders' attention away from the retreating crowd, opening fire with their Glock 17s and Smith & Wesson M&Ps. One of the shots grazed Palus's arm, causing to shout in pain and drop her laser pistol, which in turn Officer Cabrera managed to snatch up as she was carried away by Fenton.

_The Moonlanders charged with clamoring yells of their own while Palus took another pie bite whilst firing her spare pistol. Gizmoduck shrieked as he shielded his mother from the shootout, which was what Roxanne's TV crew and the spectators were running for their lives from. Bullets and lasers streaked across the camera and one more time the on-screen text changed, this time to **"Carl was right, we're doomed!"**, as Roxanne herself screamed and the camera was dropped._

_One of the lasers hit the camera, causing it to short out and transition to the emergency broadcast signal._

* * *

Back in Pizza Pub, the occupants could only stare at the screen in horror and exchange uncertain glances amongst each other. From a few tables down, Louie and Gosalyn were two of these occupants.

"Aw, phooey..."

* * *

Back at McDuck Manor, the occupants could only stare at the screen in horror. Della in particular could only say in a guilty tone,

"Aw, phooey..."

"Everyone to the Money Bin..." Scrooge gravely turned toward the group, "Now!"

The invasion had arrived.

_Lunaris had arrived..._


	9. Chapter 9

** _"Greetings, puny Earthers; I am General Lunaris of the vastly superior Planet Moon. For too long, my people have lived in fear of your Earth hanging in the sky. The time has come for the Earth to fear us. I now wish to speak to Scrooge McDuck. "Smarter than the smarties", eh? Heh. Perhaps on Earth. You've probably just realized that I've taken out your defenses. And you've retreated to the strength of your impenetrable "Money Bin". But as we all know your family is the greatest strength of all. Which is why I'm coming for them next. Lunaris...has arrived..."_ **

The McDuck station wagon sped through the city to get to the Money Bin, the family limousine following behind. The family was crammed in the former vehicle driven by Scrooge and Mrs. Beakley, the villains in the latter driven by Launchpad and Goldie. As they traveled toward their destination, they witnessed the chaos unfolding in Duckberg. Near the docks, a group of Moonlanders fired their laser pistols as the fishers who were just trying to do their jobs. Them opening fire and one of the shots hitting a crate being lifted by one of their own caused Fisher and Mann to attack despite the laser gunfire. They both bolted at the group and watched each other's backs as they began to throw punches and land kicks. In stark contrast, another pair of citizens attempted to take a selfie with Gibbous and Zenith, who immediately seized them both.

"Faster, Beakley!" Scrooge barked, "The Bin is the most secure place in town!"

"This is it, Dewey!" Webby grinned as she opened the back window, "Saving the Earth is our Dewstiny! Come face the chosen ones!"

Seeing this statement as a challenge, the Moonlanders opened fire on the evading vehicles, prompting Della to fire back with her Glock 19 and Heckler & Koch P2000SK.

"Nerp!" Huey shook his head as he pulled Webby back inside and closed the back window, "Nerp, nerp, nerp, nerp, nerp..."

"Why are they doing this?!" Della shook her head, clearly guilty over this unexpected turn of events, "They liked me so much!"

"Enough, Della!" Scrooge shouted over his shoulder, "This isn't your fault! Besides...I have a plan."

The vehicles sped into the Money Bin's garage, which Launchpad closed the door of before joining the others upstairs to Scrooge's main office, where Gyro was sorting through important files.

"Gyro!"

The chicken shrieked in fright, which only increased when he saw the former villains accompanying his boss.

"What's going on?"

"It's time. Unleash...the Unstoppa-Bomb!"

Gyro's fear immediately diminished into a frown, "Oh. The Moonlanders...um...already found that and stopped it."

"What? Uh, alright then...Activate the Doomsday Ray...!"

"That was like the first thing they took out," Gyro noted, that same frown plastered on his face.

Scrooge sighed in resignation, "Okay. I swore I'd never have initiate our worst weapon..."

"...and you never will," Gyro interrupted, "because they destroyed that too. This was a very well-planned invasion."

"Ugh, I would've never guessed," Magica snarked.

"Seriously, Mr. McDuck, why are _they_ here?"

"It's a long, _long_ story, Mr. Gearloose," Mrs. Beakley huffed, "One that we'll explain once we get settled."

Suddenly, the projector went on the fritz and displayed General Lunaris himself standing behind a gold background, a stoic glare on his face. This echoed throughout all of Duckberg's big and small screens, even stretching out to that of Saint Canard's and Cape Suzette's.

** _"Greetings, puny Earthers; I am General Lunaris of the vastly superior Planet Moon."_ **

Scrooge's party blinked at Lunaris, the leader himself tilting his head in bewilderment.

"The Moon's not a planet..."

"Yeah, it's a whole thing with them," Della cut Scrooge off.

** _"For too long, my people have lived in fear of your Earth hanging in the sky. The time has come for the Earth to fear us."_ **

Mrs. Beakley held Webby close the same time as Della did towards her two remaining sons. Don Karnage narrowed both eyes at this supposedly superior Moon General, even though he didn't show his suddenly protective nature over Dewey.

** _"I now wish to speak to Scrooge McDuck. "Smarter than the smarties", eh? Heh. Perhaps on Earth."_ **

"You scurrilous space scoundrel!" Scrooge grit his teeth in anger.

** _"You've probably just realized that I've taken out your defenses. And you've retreated to the strength of your impenetrable "Money Bin"."_ **

"Hmph. What you don't know is that family-"

** _"But as we all know your family is the greatest strength of all. Which is why I'm coming for them next."_ **

The projector now displayed a large, golden Spear of Selene rocket touching down over McDuck Manor, prompting Scrooge to gasp in horror. Sensing this, the General's frown morphed into a smirk.

** _"Lunaris... has arrived."_ **

With that, the transmission was cut and the projector turned to fritz once more. Scrooge turned to Della and the others, who (even the villains) expectantly awaited a plan.

"We need to call for help. Unless it was Lunaris who took down our communication satellites too."

"If so, I may have a solution," Gyro held up a finger, "Follow me."

The group followed Gyro down to his lab, where he opened up a closet, out of which a number of Lil Bulbs marched.

"Lil Bulb's Bulb-Tech operates on its own network," Gyro explained, "They can talk to each other like walkie-talkies."

As Mark Beaks retrieved one, an idea formed in his head.

"Find our allies!" Gyro instructed the Lil Bulbs Go, children. Like the wind!"

Nodding at their master, the Lil Bulb army ran to the elevator, one of them helping the other activate the up button. The others filed into the elevator, then the other two follow. The lead Lil Bulb saluted Gyro who returned the gesture as the elevator doors shut. Gyro walked away as the Lil Bulb clone jumps out of Scrooge's hand and into Gyro's.

"Uncle Scrooge," Della got Scrooge's attention, "Lunaris is coming for our family. We have to do something."

Scrooge silently nodded in understanding before turning to Huey, Dewey, and Webby.

"Kids! Great news."

"We're gonna heroically face-off against the enemy?" Dewey perked up.

"Better!" Della processed the news slowly, "While Gyro's Bulbs search the town for fighters, we're gonna search the globe! I need Webby's skills, Dewey's gusto, Huey's know-how, and Louie?"

Della turned to face her youngest son, but she frowned upon noticing that he was nowhere to be find. Her sigh was the only thing audible following an awkward silence as the others offered their sympathy (or, in the case of the villains, at least their acknowledgement). Pulling out and gazing at the Hobo souvenir she intended to give him before the invasion's commencement, Della couldn't, shouldn't, and wouldn't cry.

"Wherever you are... see the angles I never could..."

* * *

_In Saint Canard, having paid the bill for the Pizza Pub, Louie teared up upon hearing Della's despair over his disappearance. He gently took off the earpiece he was listening to and hugged himself, sniffling in remorse._

** _I... I won't let you down, Mom. No more than I already have..._ **

_Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms wrap around him, leading him to glance up and find Gosalyn as the perpetrator._

** _"What are you doing?"_ **

** _"I'm just hugging you. I saw you crying and thought you needed it."_ **

_. . ._

_Louie returned the hug, wrapping one arm on one of Gosalyn's and the other around her waist._

** _"Hey! You two!"_ **

_Their eyes widened in terror before they turned to find a pair of brutish bulldogs in business baggage. In addition, they both carried Heckler & Koch pistols; one a P30 and the other an USP Compact._

** _"Stay right there!"_ **

** _"Gosalyn, we have to move now..."_ **

_Moving quickly, Louie took Gosalyn's hand and pulled her along as the two henchmen pursued far behind. He activated the homing beacon of his motorcycle, which turned on and automatically sped toward their destination, transforming into an armored muscle car along the way. When their mode of transportation arrived, this caught the both of them off guard before deciding now wasn't the time. Entering inside, the car sped away just as the two henchmen got into their own and prompted a high-speed chase._

_Passerbys hastily cleared a path as the cars raced down the road. Before either could make it to the green light, a squad of police cruisers blocked their escape. As if it anticipated this obstacle, the armored muscle car drove in reverse and pushed their first pursuing vehicle into a sidewalk parking space before shifting to the appropriate driving position. Exchanging glances, Louie and Gosalyn then remembered to click on their seatbelts and fasten them. Afterwards, a spare Glock 17 with seven magazines of ammunition was slid out of a hidden compartment for him (or her) to use._

_Soon after, a whole squadron of black cars, police cruisers, and civilian vehicles began involved in the car chase, each with their own agenda. The black cars were pursuing Louie and Gosalyn, cutting down anyone in their path; the police cruisers were also pursuing Louie and Gosalyn but for reckless driving, resorting to violence only on the pursuing black cars; the civilian vehicles had absolutely no idea in the slightest who was good or bad, only focusing on the car chase for what they assumed to be shooting for a big-budget action movie, complete with gunplay and explosions galore. Little did they know, their lives were actually and unfortunately in serious danger._

_Chambering the Glock 17 and glancing out the window, Louie grimaced and rolled it down. On cue, the car drifted to the side so that the left was facing the enemy cars._

_**"Get down!"** Louie pushed down Gosalyn, who was seated on his left side, and opened fire on the windshields, often blinding the drivers or even hitting them. The car swerved back to the proper position and continued to take evasive action against their pursuers._

_After a while, the car managed to find its way to the pier, transforming back into a motorcycle along the way. On instinct, Louie grabbed Gosalyn and slung her around his back. In return, Gosalyn tightly wrapped her arms around Louie's waist as they sped towards the boat in calming silence. _ _Once they slowed to a stop, the two of them boarded off and watched as the motorcycle sped onto the deck, transforming into a much smaller moped._

_Louie and Gosalyn boarded on the houseboat just as it cast off, each tending to injuries they may have sustained._

** _"Are you okay?"_ **

** _"I'm fine. Are you?"_ **

** _"Yeah."_ **

** _"I hope so. Louie?"_ **

** _"Hmm?"_ **

_. . ._

** _"Do you think we'll find my grandfather?"_ **

_. . ._

** _"I'm not sure. But never say never."_ **

_All the while, Mr. Starling watched Louie and Gosalyn from afar with a hint of melancholy and contemplation._

** _A special one, indeed..._ **


	10. Chapter 10

_"Louie? I need you to see the angles I can't..."_

In the streets of Duckburg, a pair of Moonlanders inspected the area while a vehicle burned nearby and one of their rockets flew overhead. Gibbous and four Moonlanders rounded up four civilians and led them away in golden handcuffs: a male duck, a male dog and two female dogs. From up above, the Lil Bulb leader peaked behind a Waddle billboard before waveing to the other Bulbs, signaling them to take off in different directions. One nervous Bulb was slapped and hugged by Lil Bulb, who was saluted by that same bulb before running across the street. Watching as the Cloudslayer/Sunchaser flew away in the sky, Lil Bulb took off as well and joined his mates in calling all forces to the Bin.

** _"This is Scrooge McDuck, calling all forces to the Bin! Repeat, all forces to the Bin!"_ **

As Gizmoduck and Officer Cabrera lifted debris off a dog civilian for him to escape, they both spotted a Lil Bulb running towards them blaring the call to action. Nearby at a playground, Lena picked one of the Lil Bulbs and gasped as two of the Moonlander soldiers approached to investigate, running off before they could spot her. Waiting until a quintet of Moonlanders passed by, another Lil Bulb raced into the Duckberg Public Library, where Emily Quackfaster and Violet Sabrewing saw the Bulb, exchanging curious glances. Meanwhile, a pair of Lil Bulbs attracted the attention of Johnny and Randy, who helped a family evade arrest at the hands of the Moonanders, and Gabby McStabberson, who (along with the Smashnikov Brothers) brutally knocked out those same quintet of Moonlanders and stole out their equipment.

On the rooftops, a Lil Bulb ran and raised its arms up high when an arriving Gibbous took it in his hands.

"What the craters is this...?"

"Huey to Uncle Scrooge. Our top secret mission is underway. Good thing this is a secure line, or the Moonlanders would know we're in E-"

Before it could reveal Huey's location, the Lil Bulb clone twisted its light bulb loose and fell to the street, where it shattered while a confused Gibbous watched on. His eyes instantly narrowed, however, upon noticing a small child walking by himself, startled by the shattering light bulb.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!"

Gasping in terror, the boy could only run off and take evasive action from Gibbous, who pursued him after leaping from the rooftops. A pair of Moonlanders spotted him and joined in the hot pursuit, which ended in a limousine garage. Running into a dead end, the boy merely raised his hands up in surrender as a Moonlander aimed his laser pistol at him. Before he could pull the trigger, though, a smoke flash stopped him and the others.

Walking through the purple smoke was an adult duck who donned a dark-purple top with a slightly darker hat, a mask that shared a similar color with the rest of his outfit, and a black cape with a pink interior.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night..." The figure stated as he struck a pose on top of one of the limousines in the dissipating smoke, "I am the scream you can hear in space! I am-!"

"Anything dangerous in there?" A Moonlander called out from outside, unintentionally interrupting the figure's speech.

"No..." Gibbous frowned and shook his head, "Just some purple weirdo. Let's move out!"

As the Moonlanders retreated, a disappointed Drake Mallard just stood there with his jaw hanging and his eyes twitching. Instantly, he hopped off the limo and called out angrily,

"Whaddyamean, purple weirdo?!"

"Thank you, purple weirdo!"

Drake turned around in annoyance before his hardened expression softened upon laying his eyes on the child he accidentally rescued. He was a small grey parrot with yellow sclerae, black irises, a light grey patch surrounding his eyes, and a dark grey beak with matching feet. His outfit consisted of a light yellow button-up shirt, a red bowtie, and darker yellow shorts.

"You saved my life!"

"Oh! Well..." Drake smiled with pride, "You're welcome, young sir! Saving lives is what I do! And what is your name?"

"My name is Beaks Optimistic Youth Droid!" The child parrot smiled wide, "but you may call me **_B.O.Y.D._**!"

_So...a robot child created by a person named Beaks... Interesting..._

"And where are your parents, B.O.Y.D.?"

"They're currently tied up in their mansion with my brother by the aliens!"

Drake was surprised by the rather cheerful tone in which he delivered his response, but he shrugged it off as the current making of an idealistic android. A Lil Bulb then ran into the garage, attracting their attention.

"This is Scrooge McDuck, calling all forces to the bin! Repeat, all forces to the Bin."

"Ah, a call to action," Drake picked up the Bulb, "The city needs a savior, and-"

"And you're it!" B.O.Y.D. excitedly exclaimed, "Can I assist you?"

Drake thought it over, his main concern over involving a child in an alien invasion-defending war. Then again, Scrooge did say all forces to the Bin.

"Good idea, B.O.Y.D. You be my ears so I can focus on defending the people. Let's move!"

The both of them took off to rendezvous with the other allies at the Money Bin.

As they ran off, they passed by an alleyway, where a female chicken with tan feathers, short dark brown hair, and punk rock clothing stepped out holding one of the Lil Bulbs.

_To the Bin...?_ Gandra frowned, thinking to herself.

* * *

In the wee hours of the morning, the Sunchaser soared over the Egyptian desert, their destination only a few minutes ahead.

"I repeat, we are approaching Egypt," Huey called into the Lil Bulb, "And our first stop: The Temple of Toth-Ra!"

Suddenly, the Lil Bulb pulled on his beak for seemingly no reason, causing Huey to grunt in pain.

"We'll bring Amunet's army of living mummies back to Duckburg," Webby glanced over a map, "Our sources tell me our friend Djinn is in the area too."

"A regular old twofer," Dewey nodded.

"Good thinking, Webby," Della nodded as well, "All part of the plan. Huey, sweetie! You got those bulb phones ready?"

Huey himself was entangled in a small army of Lil Bulbs, "Yeah, uh... Working on it!"

"Look! There's the pyramid!" Webby pointed. Sure enough, the plane began to close in on the pyramid where the kids fought Toth-Ra before.

"Perfect!" Huey face front as he was joined by Dewey, "We swoop down, pick up our forces, and get back to Duckburg before the invasion can..."

His eyes widened just as the others gasped in shock. Outside the pyramid by a few feet was a golden rocket, having already touched ground...or sand.

"...spread," Huey finished with a whimper.

"Oh, boy..." Della grimaced.

At ground level, a total of eight Moonlanders opened fire with three of them charging forward. Even as lasers was fired, though, the male warrior dog stood his ground, armed with nothing but a scimitar. Djinn used his blade to deflect one laser shot and make it hit a male Moonlander. He dodged a shot fired at his head by a female Moonlander, whom he grabbed and spun around before throwing her into that same male Moonlander. He then automatically dodged two more shots and swung his sword, sending a laser shot flying to a male Moonlander...and a female soldier...and then a second male soldier.

Furious about the tables turning against them by one insignificant citizen, one male and one female Moonlander continued to fire wildly before Amunet leaped down from above. The female Egyptian jackal roundhouse kicked the male Moonlander in the face and used her khopesh to sweep the female off her feet, hitting her in the stomach soon after. The beaten Moonlander soldiers roll down the sandy hill as more and more Moonlanders disembarked from the golden rocket. Retreating from incoming laser fire, Amunet grabbed Djinn by the arm and pulled him toward the pyramid for safety.

Dewey grabbed a Lil Bulb, attached a mini parachute, opened one of the side doors, and hurled it out. Unfortunately, a select few Moonlanders saw the Sunchaser and opened fire as the main group continued their attack on the pyramid. One of the shots nearly hit Dewey in the face and sent him tumbling out of the plane as he screamed in terror.

"DEWEY!" Della cried out in fear as Huey and Webby gasped.

Before he lost his footing, Dewey was grabbed by the collar, leaving him dangling for his life. Turning to face his savior, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Don Karnage?!"

"Yes, yes..." The sky pirate wolf captain groaned as he pulled Dewey inside, "You can thank me later."

"Karnage?!" Della's eyes twitched, "What are you-?!"

"Mom, not the time," Huey reminded her why they were here, causing Della to huff in understanding as she flew ahead.

As Amunet and Djinn took cover, the Lil Bulb thrown out by Dewey parachuted down and landed near the makeshift entrance of the pyramid, catching their attention.

** _"Djinn, Amunet! It's Huey Duck! You guys okay down there?"_ **

"We'll be fine!" Amunet took the Lil Bulb in her hands, "Amunet's just a little winded, that's all!"

"Moon, Sun, or the North Star itself, nothing will prevent me from upholding my-"

Djinn began to concur before a laser blast hit him straight in the buttocks.

"Ooh! My haunches!" Djinn exclaimed in pain, causing Amunet, Lil Bulb, and the others listening to cringe with him.

**_"Amunet, where are the rest of your people?"_** Della called into the radio.

"Safe! In the pyramid!" Amunet replied into the Lil Bulb.

"Don't worry! We're coming for you!" Huey shouted desperately, "Mom, take us down!"

"I can't," Della shook her head, "There's no place to land."

"There's a spot," Dewey pointed out, "There's another spot. In fact, it is mostly flat desert out there."

"Djinn and Amunet can't hold them back much longer," Della continued, "The Moonlanders will invade the pyramid."

"But..." Webby was left speechless, "What about the plan? Reinforcements and...?"

Della felt guilty about dampening their spirits but she didn't want to endanger the kids, "Don't worry, kids. We'll find them someplace... safer. "

"Don't worry about us, you guys!" Amunet called out, "We can hold them off for as long as we can! I just can't believe we defeated a sun god only to be attacked by moon people. If only there was some kinda, I don't know, a moon god!"

The eyes of the group (save for Don Karnage) widened in realization.

"Or _goddess_!"

"Right!" Della nodded, "To Ithaquack!"

"To where?" Don Karnage tilted his head in intrigue before yelping in fright as the Sunchaser picked up speed again and flew off away from the desert.

* * *

In the early hours of the morning, the houseboat arrived at Duckburg, specifically Hookbill Harbor, landing at the docks. Louie and Gosalyn gathered their equipment while Starling tied the boat down to a pair of wooden pilings just as he did before. He then beckoned Louie and Gosalyn over as he wielded the Glock 17 Louie obtained in the transforming car, a customized BCM CQB-11 and a M79 Grenade Launcher attached to a sling.

_"So where exactly are we going?"_ Gosalyn whispered.

_"To the sewers,"_ Louie whispered back, _"It's where Mr. Starling's hideout is located."_

_"Is that supposed to be comforting?"_

_"No, I don't think so."_

_"Don't worry, Miss Waddlemeyer,"_ Starling whispered and joined in, _"You and Louis will be safe down there for now."_

Holding his right hand up and balling it into a fist, Starling took cover behind a group of barrels, Louie and Gosalyn following behind. A group of Moonlanders wielded their laser pistols as they investigated the docks.

_"Louis..."_ Starling whispered as he holstered the Glock 17, _"Take Gosalyn. Move fast, stay low."_

Readying his CQB-11 and attaching a suppressor to the barrel, Starling exchanged looks with Louie and Gosalyn, who nodded in understanding.

** _"Go!"_ **

As they took off running, the Moonlanders turned around and opened fire, only to have their attention stolen back by Starling, who returned fire and landed three headshots. The soldiers noticed their fallen and turned their lasers on him, but they found it incredibly difficult to see through the mist.

Starling, meanwhile, was in his element...


	11. Chapter 11

** _"The plan isn't about finding help. It's about running away! We're being scammed!"_ **

** _"Lunaris is targeting us! If I'd told the truth, you wouldn't have come!"_ **

** _"So, we don't fight back? We leave our friends and family?"_ **

** _"You're my family! I can't lose you again!"_ **

The Money Bin meeting room was filled with Scrooge and his allies, seated around at the table as they argued amongst themselves. Scrooge was seated on one end of the table facing Gizmoduck, seated on the other end. Seated on one side was Mrs. Beakley, Quackfaster, Manny, Violet, Lena, Duckworth, Mark Beaks, and the Original Classics. Seated on the other side was Launchpad, Johnny, Randy, Gabby McStabberson, Gyro, Officer Crackshell-Cabrera, Ma Beagle, the Smashnikov Brothers, and Magica. His hands clasped together, Scrooge looked at a battle map with a spaceship model. He was the only member of the group beside from Gabby not to engage in any of the petty squabbling just yet. Lena merely exchanged death glares with her aunt, who merely rolled her eyes at the lowkey threat.

"We could sternly ask them to leave," Duckworth suggested.

"Buddy, you are a waste of magic," Lena turned to snark.

"Simple Solution: Clone army," Gyro stood from his seat, "Why are we even still talking? I'll get the clone spray. Meantime, we throw Gizmoduck out there as a decoy-"

Suddenly, Gyro was yanked by the collar by Officer Cabrera, who shot a death glare his way, "You hurt him, I hurt you."

"Thank you for your concern, random citizen!" Fenton nervously laughed.

Officer Cabrera turned her chair to face her son, whom she shot a deadpan look at now, "Fenton, I'm a detective and your mother. I know you're Gizmoduck."

"M'ma!" Fenton loudly whispered in fear, "Secret identity...!"

As the arguing continued to grow louder and louder, the door suddenly bursted open and some of the occupants stood up in a panic, which only increased when a couple of purple smoke bombs were hurled into the room.

"What we need is a symbol to strike fear in their hearts," A mysterious figure strutted into the room, "Smoke bomb, an unknown figure appears; Who's that? Lightning, drama, chaos, they surrender immediately to DARKWING DUCK!"

A rather awkward silence filled the room, save for stock cricket noises, until Violet tilted her head in confusion.

"I'm sorry. Who is that?"

Drake immediately sulked into disappointment, not even minding when B.O.Y.D. leaped into the room and onto his shoulders.

"He's the Purple Weirdo!"

"Ehh, close enough..."

That time, Gyro stood up in alarm and gasped in shock, "Where did you get that thing?!"

"Dr. Gearloose?" B.O.Y.D. expressed surprise himself, "I haven't seen you since...I can't remember."

"Oh!" Drake perked up now, "You know my acquaintance, B.O.Y.D.?"

"B.O.Y.D.?" Gyro backtracked in disbelief, "What idiot called it that?"

"That idiot is sitting a few seats from you," Mark gritted his teeth, only flashing a brief smile and wave when B.O.Y.D. smiled and waved Hi at him.

"Its name is 2-BO," Gyro asserted, "And yes, I know all about it. It is not your friend, it is not a boy, it is a failed experiment!"

Horrified and furious at the Doctor's blunt refusal, Drake placed down a saddened B.O.Y.D. and suddenly leaped onto the table, marching over to grab Gyro by the collar.

"I highly suggest you take that comment back if you know what's good for you," Drake practically spat in his face as Gyro gulped and the others watched on.

Scrooge set his cane on the map to take control of the battle-planning, "No one ever won a battle by squabbling! We need to stand united under one foolproof plan!"

"Lunaris DID defeat your first three foolproof plans," Mrs. Beakley pointed at her boss at Drake released Gyro and took his seat. Sorry, _Gyro's_ seat.

"Aye, and he thinks we're running scared. The last thing he'd expect is for us to run..."

Scrooge moved the model ducks representing the alliance toward the model of Lunaris's primary rocket.

"...at him."

"Yeah, cuz' it's crazy!" Lena waved her arms about.

"Stupid crazy..."

The occupants turned toward the door again to find a female chicken leaning against the doorway.

"Gandra?!" Fenton stumbled backwards in surprise before clearing his throat, "Uh... I mean... Miss Dee! You shouldn't be here!"

"The Lil Bulb did say all forces to the Bin," Gandra shrugged, "Plus, I know it's you, Fenton. So...don't even bother."

Fenton groaned in dismay and nodded.

"So, Scrooge..." Gandra crossed her arms, "What's the play?"

"I know every inch of that mansion. If I can get up there, I can sneak into Lunaris' ship and take him down! But we need a distraction. Our army will attack his army head-on!"

"I'm sorry," Mrs. Quackfaster adjusted her glasses, "What army?"

Scrooge leaped on top of the table and began to walk forward, "My great-grandfather used to say: "Give me 12 highlanders and a bagpiper and I'll give you a rebellion!" We may be a rag-tag gang of underdogs but we'll survive like we always do because we're smarter. we're tougher, we're sharper! Follow my lead and we'll win this battle square!"

Everybody cheered for Scrooge and his rousing speech. Drake nodded in satisfaction just as Gizmoduck turned to greet him.

"Hi, I'm Gizmoduck. When there's trouble, you call me. What's your name?"

Drake groaned before grudgingly taking his hand to shake.

"Darkwing Duck. When there's _big_ trouble...you call me."

* * *

Meanwhile, outside far from the Money Bin, Louie and Gosalyn evaded the Moonlanders sent to investigate the attack at the docks.

"Do you think your boss will be okay?"

"Oh, he'll be fine. He knows what he's doing."

"So where are we going?"

"We need to find a manhole of some sort-Oh, hide!"

Louie pulled Gosalyn into an alleyway just as a second group of Moonlanders ran past them.

"Wait, how did you get to the hideout last time?"

"Through my uncle's mansion."

"Then why can't just go there?"

"Because the passageway's been long destroyed! Besides, it's a long run from where we are!"

Gosalyn nodded in understanding before glancing around and pointing straight.

"Okay, well, there's a manhole in the alleyway across from us. Maybe that would work."

"Let's hope."

Louie and Gosalyn waited until the coast was clear before sprinting across the street, barely making before a third group of Moonlanders performed a daily patrol. The both of them lifted the manhole cover, Gosalyn slipping inside first followed by Louie, who closed the manhole just before a fourth group of Moonlanders passed by the alleyway.

A few miles away, Starling reloaded his CQB-11 and took cover as the Moonlanders fired their laser pistols. As impressive as their alien arsenal and technology was, they couldn't compare to the old-school firearms and heavy weaponry of Earth, despite being presumably decades behind. The first and second groups advanced, the leaders immediately taking a 5.56x45mm rifle shell to their heads as soon as Starling was prepared to participate. The older duck was not afraid to use his bare hands and a Cold Steel Counter Tac 1 as melee weapons to dual wield with his firearms. Stabbing one female Moonlander in the chest, Starling then slashed the throat of an approaching male Moonlander before using his CQB-11 to gun them both down. When the magazine ran empty and he had little time to reload, he switched to his Glock 17 and aimed for mostly the head and occasionally the chest.

Positive that the Moonlander majority were dead, Starling reloaded his Glock and BCM before slinging and/or holstering them away. Gazing at the discarded laser pistols, he managed to grab six of the twelve laying on the road before his ears perked up at the sound of more Moonlanders approaching the docks. He managed to escape without a trace as the enemy arrived and discover the carnage.

Exchanging horrified and uncertain glances amongst each other, Mascon was the one to do...something, as in tapping the communication device on his chest to contact his General.

"Sir...we have a problem."

* * *

"Ah, no- Stop- I am man, you are machine. Ow! Get off me!"

At the island of Ithaquack, Huey was still struggling with the Lil Bulbs while Don Karnage hesitantly helped pick them off. Dewey, Webby, and Della climbed the stairs that led to Zeus' temple gates. They all knocked on the door as Dewey called out,

"Hello? Selene? Goddess of the Moon?"

The door eventually did open, but her father instead appeared, firing a lightning blast at the trio, who barely manage to dodge it. A now angry Della began to pound on the door.

"Open the ding-dang door, ya pantheon of palookas!"

"Della?" A female voice was audible on the other side, "Is that you?"

"Selene? You're there?"

"I am! Oh, I'm so sorry! We'd love to help you, but we're kinda grounded."

Della huffed in disappointment, "Of course you are..."

On the other side, Zeus was being held back from attacking the uninvited guests by his own children.

"Father, please!" Storkules pleaded desperately, "What of the Earth!? What of my Donald?!"

"No!" Zeus asserted, "We are _not_ helping Scrooge McDuck! If the mortals jumped off a bridge, would you jump too?"

"Yes, Father, for I am immortal!"

"It was a rhetorical question!"

"Please, let us in!" Della continued to bang at the door.

"So we can figure out a plan to stop the Moonlanders!" Webby concurred.

Don Karnage ran up and joined them, followed by Huey not far behind, "If you decide not to help us, then you are a coward not to assist your own people!"

The four of them looked at the Sky Pirate captain in complete shock, a state which was broken when both of the doors were blown open, knocking the group off their feet and glancing up as the Greek God himself stood before him, an expression of utter fury plastered across his face as he prepared to hurl another lightning blast.

"My own people? **_My own people?!_** I do not consider the mortals as my own people! They are subjects to me! In fact...why can one be a king when one can be a god?!"

"Judging by your toxic personality..." Karnage sneered, "You're not a god. You are born, you live, you die. How can you protect us mortals when you cannot protect your own children?"

Zeus opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Not just because of the surprise of a mere mortal standing his ground against him, an almighty _im_mortal, but also because of an energy blast blowing one of the doors off its hinges. Everybody turned and gasped in fear as a group of golden Spear of Selene rockets opened fire on them. Della immediately grabbed Huey and Webby, Don Karnage immeidately grabbed Dewey, and Zeus immediately grabbed Selene and Storkules as they all took cover. The latter huffed and hurled that second lightning blast at the nearest Spear, sending it crashing down into the ocean.

"Get out of here, Della!" Selene called out from behind the remaining door, "We'll hold them off! I'll call you later and we can hang out if we're not all conquered!"

Della smiled and nodded sadly as she and Don Karnage led the children back into the Sunchaser, which took off with a trio of golden rockets in pursuit.

_What was the plan?_

* * *

Louie produced two flashlights: one for him, the other for Gosalyn. They used them to illuminate their way through the sewer, their noses wrinkling at the foul stenches that invaded it. They both hopped side to side before eventually finding Starling's underground section. Hopping one more time, they both glanced around. Louie made sure that this was the same place he stumbled upon, Gosalyn looked in awe at the amount of detail put into a mere hideout.

"Is this the place?"

"Yeah, it's a work in progress. We're gonna have move out eventually if these "Moonlanders" patrol the sewers."

"Hmm."

Gosalyn nodded and her eyes landed on the armory. Ironically, the pistols, shotguns, rifles, and even the bladed weapons weren't enough to pique her interest. Instead, it was a lone purple crossbow that caught her eyes and her curiosity; it came with a pair of black quivers that housed 60 green bolts each. As she took the crossbow off its peg hooks to examine it, Louie appeared beside her to take up a suppressed Remington 700 AICS and ensure that it was properly functional for a future mission.

"I take it you and your boss want any and all details of the Waddlemeyer Ramrod?"

Inwardly sighing in resignation, Louie knew that the true objective of his mission and its subsequent discussion was inevitable.

"Yeah...in a way. It's...complicated."

"Can you uncomplicate it?"

"I can try. My boss just wants revenge against someone who wronged him."

"Of course. Don't we all?"

"You lost someone?"

"I did."

"You catch the person or people responsible?"

"Not yet. And I'm gonna need proof other than the story I'm about to tell you and the fact that the person's responsible is a complete jerk."

"Storytime, huh? I'm all ears."

"All right. My Grandfather, Doctor Waddlemeyer, built the Ramrod under his boss Taurus Bulba...but Grandpa discovered a flaw in the programming. The Ramrod was unstable and dangerous. One night, he went to warn Bulba and never came back. Now Bulba's claiming that he built the Ramrod, but if I can get that Ramrod key, I can prove it's dangerous, stop Bulba, and find my Grandpa."

Louie nodded as he rubbed his chin in contemplation.

"But what would Bulba want with a trachio-specific device that disrupts gravitational bonds and allows manipulation on a mirco or macro scale?"

_. . ._

"What?"

"Oh, right. It's essentially a floatation device for people and objects...as in it makes them float."

"A gravity manipulation device?" Gosalyn frowned, "No, that was the Ramrod's original purpose. How do you know about that?"

"An inside source," Louie lied, "Why?"

"Your "inside source" clearly needs their information updated," Gosalyn crossed her arms, "because the Ramrod isn't a gravity manipulation device."

"It's not?"

"No...it's a _reality_ manipulation device."

Louie processed this new information, the feeling of having bitten off more than he could chew returning full force to nag at the back of his head.

** _"We have to go back to Duckburg!"_ **

Suddenly, Gosalyn's hood began to move before a Lil Bulb revealed itself, running amok before Louie snatched him up, his attention now piqued by the running gadget.

_Dewey...?_

"What in the blue heck is that?" Gosalyn tilted her head.

"It's a communication device..." Louie murmured.

** _"The plan's not working. We had a chance to get Amunet and Djinn, but we ran away."_ **

_Webby...?_

_ **"And back in Ithaquack, you were more worried about getting us in than getting reinforcements out."** _

_Huey...?_

** _"It's almost like..."_ **

** _"The plan isn't about finding help; It's about running away! We're being scammed! Why, Della?"_ **

_Don Karnage...?_

** _"So, we don't fight back? We leave our friends and family?"_ **

** _"Lunaris is targeting us! If I'd told the truth, you wouldn't have come! You're my family! I can't lose you again!"_ **

_Mom?_

** _"Mom, look out-!"_ **

_. . ._

_ **BOOM!**  
_

The eyes of Louie and Gosalyn widened in horror, the former more so than the latter.

** _"This is Huey Duck! We are going down! I repeat, we are going down-!"_ **

_. . ._

** _CRASH!_ **

And just like that, the transmission was cut.

Louie's eyes began to water the same time as Gosalyn clamped her hands over her mouth.

"Was... Was that...?"

The youngest Duck silently nodded as he wiped away his tears. She nodded in understanding and pulled him into another hug for the second time, knowing that he would need it. Sure enough, Gosalyn became Louie's shoulder to cry on, fresh tears dripping down onto her jacket.

_I never got to apologize..._

Little did he knew, tears of her own were elicited because she knew exactly how he felt when losing a family member. The best she could do in this situation was...

_Be a friend in need, I suppose..._

* * *

At the Money Bin, Scrooge's alliance listened to the demise of Della's group on the lead Lil Bulb. Out of the 14 members, Scrooge, Mrs. Beakley, Duckworth, and Lena were the most horrified. The rest displayed pity and sadness for Scrooge's losses. Even the villains, despite being on the opposite side of the law, expressed their own condolences.

After a moment of silence (static was the only thing audible), Scrooge walked over to a certain spot of the wall and banged his fist on it. A secret compartment revealed a Winchester Model 1897 Riot Gun with a custom sling that also served as a shell bandolier. His stoic expression then morphed into one of unadulterated rage.

"We attack tonight..."

* * *

Starling hung his head in sympathy and sighed solemnly.

_I'm sorry..._


	12. Chapter 12

_ **"You see, Scrooge, my father taught me that fear is a very powerful weapon; Fear can motivate the Moonlanders to invade your planet; Fear can make the ridiculous people of Earth put their faith in a foolish old man's foolhardy plan. Fear can even drive away Della Duck, the once fearless Earther with any knowledge of my people. Fear...can place error in one's judgment, setting the stage for complete and utter failure..."** _

Back in Egypt, Djinn and Amunet stared at the Lil Bulb in dread. The gadget itself hung its head in heartache as Amunet and Djinn exchanged saddened looks.

Back in Greece, Zeus' family exchanged looks of despair. Even Zeus himself sighed solemnly for Scrooge, despite his dislike for the elderly duck.

Back in Duckburg, Scrooge and his alliance continued their preparations for the battle tonight in somber silence. And in the sewers, Louie and Gosalyn continued their preparations for the exact same battle tonight in the exact same fashion. Louie was in a constant state of denial, refusing to believe just yet his own family had suffered such a horrible and unjustifiable demise.

Little did he know how much he was right.

* * *

"No visible sign of life. We're heading back to Duckburg."

After crash-landing on a desert island and waiting for the pursuing Moonlanders to fly away, the occupants of the Sunchaser climbed out. First Della, then Webby, then the boys, and finally Don Karnage. The group took a look at the state of the plane before glancing around the crash site.

"W-We... We made it!" Della chuckled, "We're safe!"

"And stuck," Huey leaned on Webby's shoulder, "You'd have to be pretty unlucky to be stranded here."

Before anymore could be said, the bushes rustled from behind and a mysterious figure emerged from the shadows, catching the attention of the group. Della and Don Karnage immediately shielded the kids, drawing their respective weapons. A moment later, the figure stepped out into the light, revealing himself to be a bearded, scruffy-looking duck accompanied by a melon shaped like a peculiar-looking mouse with round ears and his sailor hat.

The group (minus Don Karnage, understandably) gasped in surprise, "What...?"

"Donald?" Della slowly approached.

"Della?!" Donald's eyes widened in shock.

"Hot dog! We've got company!" The melon "spoke" through Donald's ventriloquism.

"W-Where...?"

"W-Where...?"

"Where have you been?!" The twins asked at the same time.

"If you were home when I got back, you'd know I was stuck on the moon, which by the way, is invading us!" Della crossed her arms.

"I know! I warned you!" Donald crossed his arms.

"We didn't get a warning!"

"Stop yelling at each other," Dewey approached to break up the fight...before turning to start a new one with his own uncle, "I could've been named "Turbo"! You owe me 11 years of Turbo!"

"Don't change the subject!" Della plucked Dewey off Donald and set him aside, "Just because I missed you doesn't mean I'm not mad at you!"

"I missed you too, ya big dummy!"

Finally reaching the realization that they really missed each other, Della and Donald embraced each other as tears formed in their eyes. The two boys happily watched both their mother and uncle having a touching reunion, Webby started tearing up, and even Don Karnage acknowledged the heartwarming sincerity of it all. Alas, it was a heartwarming sincerity that was ruined by an unexpected guest.

"Oh boy, I love a reunion!"

"Whoa!" Della stumbled backward at Melon's sudden intrusion, "Has the melon been a thing the whole time I've been gone or...?"

"No, that's new," Huey shook his head.

"Wait a minute," Donald glanced around in worry. "Where's Louie...?"

The remnants of the McDuck clan exchanged worried glances before Della sighed in resignation.

"Donald... There's something I need to tell you."

His eyes widened in horror, fearing the worst for his youngest nephew...

* * *

Beneath the sewers of Duckburg, Louie laid down a 3rd Generation Glock 17, a 3rd Generation Glock 19, a SIG-Sauer P226R, a Beretta 92FS, a Mossberg 500 Persuader, a M4A1 Carbine, and the Remington 700 AICS on the worktable. He rapidly dissassembled the firearms to clean the parts before reassembling them at such speed without batting an eye or breaking a sweat. How he did so he and Gosalyn did not know. Of course, he was also on edge following the apparent death of most of his family.

"Louie?"

"Gosalyn."

"Are you going to be...?"

"Okay? Yeah, sure."

At that moment, Starling entered the hideout and Louie wiped any tears that dared to form in his eyelids. Noticing this, the elder duck sighed and placed a hand on the younger duck's shoulder.

"I believe it is best to release your emotions before the planned ambush tonight."

Glancing up at him, Louie was offered a gentle smile by Starling, even if it came out a little crooked. To Starling's surprise, Louie rushed him in for a needed hug and returned it despite his initial shock. From there, the dam broke and his tears dripped down amidst the sobbing. Starling ran his fingers through Louie's hair and watched Gosalyn hug him from behind.

"We're gonna get through this, Louie. So...Mr. Starling, was it? What's the play?"

Starling pulled a Lil Bulb from underneath his hat and placed it on the worktable alongside Louie's Lil Bulb, "Based on this little gadget's broadcast, Louis' uncle is planning a night seige on the Moonlanders to take back McDuck Manor. Most of his allies are taking refuge in the Money Bin."

"Of course they are," Louie nodded as he wiped away his tears, "The Money Bin is the most secure place in Duckburg."

"Which could also make it the most secure prison in Duckburg if the Moonlanders hijack it," Gosalyn realized.

"I doubt money would be the most of the Moonlanders' concerns."

"Regardless..." Starling turned toward the computer screens, "We have to take any and all of the contingency plans of the Moonlanders into consideration."

"What do they want besides taking over the Earth?" Gosalyn rubbed her chin.

"A bigger play at hand? Maybe," Louie spared a look at the Lil Bulbs, who were "bickering" with each other.

Starling turned away from the computer screens, "We need to gather any and all intelligence we have on the Moonlanders, Uncle Scrooge's alliance, and their ambushes for tonight. Gosalyn, gather the weapons and equipment we may need. Louie, modify those little gadgets to where you, I, and Miss Waddlemeyer can share conversations among us and listen to the ones hosted by Mr. McDuck and his alliance."

"What about you?"

Starling took up a 3rd Generation Glock 17; a SIG-Sauer P250 Compact; the customized BCM CQB-11 with a suppressor, BCMGunfighter Mod 0 stock and Vertical Grip Mod 3, suppressor, EOTech holographic optic, 3x magnifier and a Steiner Offset Tactical Aiming Laser; a Daniel Defense M441 with a Leupold HAMR, a LMT SOPMOD stock, and a suppressor; and the M79 Grenade Launcher from before.

"I'll get a head start. You and Miss Waddlemeyer will head to the Abandoned Amphitheater not far from the Money Bin at sunset; I will rendezvous with you two there."

Loading his weapons and slinging them over his shoulders (or holstering them in the case of his pistols), Starling turned to exit before being stopped by Louie.

"Mr. Starling?"

"Yes?"

. . .

"Be careful."

"You too."

With that, Starling walked away and the two children performed their respective duties, often exchanging small talk while doing so. As they did, small thoughts clouded their heads:

_Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll find you..._

_Don't worry, Mom. I'll avenge you..._

* * *

"So...what's the plan?"

"The plan is, we head to Duckburg and assist Scrooge McDuck in the fight against the Moonlanders...and possibly not get killed along the way."

After defeating the rest of the attacking Moonlanders, tying them up, and relieving them of their weapons (even taking a few for themselves), Djinn and Amunet decided to travel to Duckburg and assist Scrooge in defending the city (and by extension the rest of the world) from the alien invasion.

"Huh. I love it. Simple and easy to remember."

Suddenly, an aircraft soared above the duo, prompting them to take cover and draw their respective weapons. However, they did not see a Spear of Selene from the sky above, but instead, it was a black-and-purple plane that looked suspiciously like a vulture.

"Huh?" Amunet tilted her head in confusion.

"I never understand modern technology."

"Hello! This is Ugly Mug of the Sky Pirates! We are firmly on the side of good!" A female voice called out before adding, "Eh, for now. Are there any survivors that we can recruit for Scrooge McDuck's alliance?"

Djinn and Amunet exchanged confused and uncertain glances before standing up and waved at the ship to flag them down. A few moments later, the Iron Vulture began to circle around and touch down onto the sand, its doors opening to reveal a pair of pirates (one male, the other female) exiting the vessel. The female was a dark brown-skinned dog with a brown hat and a left metal peg; the male was a light brown-skinned Dachshund with a right eyepatch and a pair of crossing bandages across his snout.

"Ahoy, mateys!" The male pirate politely waved, "Are you acquaintances of Scrooge McDuck?"

"And his family," Djinn scanned them both from head to toe, "I assume you are fellow acquaintances of Scrooge McDuck as well?"

"Approximately along the lines of the friendly enemy archetype," The female pirate elaborated, "I'm Peg Leg Meg, the ship's first mate. My high kicks truly are first rate."

"Me mateys call me Ugly Mug," The male pirate introduced himself, "but I prefer to go by Jitterbug."

Exchanging the same confused and uncertain looks from before, Djinn and Amunet both shrugged.

"Well, this will be a..." Amunet started before humming in contemplation, "Do you guys know any good pirate puns?"

Peg Leg Meg and Ugly Mug/Jitterbug exchanged excited smiles, "Just a few..."

* * *

Later that night, the outer grounds of McDuck Manor, as well as the road leading to the manor, were blocked by Palus, Mascon, and their large Moonlander party.

Palus tapped the communication device on her chest, "Sir, we've secured the only path to the mansion. No one's getting through."

_"Very good,"_ Lunaris spoke, _"It's all falling into place."_

"And what of the so-called loose cannon, sir?" Mascon tapped his own communication device, "This...vigilante took out 17 of our finest."

_"The unpredictability of the vigilante's actions won't matter in the long run,"_ Lunaris replied, _"Only the mighty will win in the end..."_

The transmission was cut off, prompting Palus and Mascon to silently command their troops to ready their weapons and keep an eye out.

Suddenly, the holy (or unholy, from the perspective of the enemy) sound of bagpipes began to blare out into the great wide open, irritating the Moonlander party, who watched Scrooge McDuck, dressed as a Scottish warrior no less, playing the woodwind instrument while riding on Manny the Headless Man-Horse as the latter tapped, "This is humiliating." Can one hoenstly blame him?

"Ugh...!" Palus clamped her hands over her ears, "He's launching some kind of horrible sonic warfare!"

"Stand your ground, soldiers!" Mascon shook his head.

As Scrooge continued to play the bagpipes, the rest of Scrooge's alliance emerged from the shadows, only stopping once every one of them appeared. The two armies engaged in a stand-off, one side waiting for the other to commence the clash.

"Stick to the plan," Scrooge whispered to his group, "Everyone hold until I give word."

Palus and Mascon's army aimed their laser pistols at Scrooge's. Mrs. Beakley shielded Lena, Mrs. Quackfaster shielded Violet, Officer Cabrera shielded Fenton, and even Gyro shielded B.O.Y.D. as the Moonlanders continued to steady their arm. Meanwhile, Ma Beagle didn't bother to shield her sons because she knew that they were capable of defending themselves when push came to shove. Gabby McStabberson, meanwhile, didn't bother shielding the Smashnikov Brothers in general, who were currently bickering under their breaths to see who would become the better of the two.

"Hold..."

On a similar note, Johnny and Randy were both bickering as well, this time debating whether or not their decision to participate in the battle was warranted. Magica, Glomgold, and Mark Beaks exchanged death glares, each telling themselves they would be on top of the others. By contrast, Goldie and Duckworth exchanged looks and nods of acknowledgement as they both prepared to charge into battle. They both watched as Palus and Mascon gave silent gestures to a small section of the army. Judging by the looks of it, this small section was to split from the main body and surround the alliance from all sides. Not a bad idea, but most certainly a flawed one.

"Hold..."

"Oh, no!"

Both the armies looked up in alarm and Scrooge's moved out of the way as the family station wagon was driven in such a reckless fashion.

"Sorry, everyone! Oh no! Oh!"

Launchpad immediately drove the car he and Drake were in into a tree.

"Oh okay."

He threw the vehicle in reverse...and straight into the same tree.

"Oh, fine!" Scrooge drew his cane in the manner of a sword, "Just go!"

Shouting for battle, Scrooge's army began charging at the enemy the same time as the Moonlanders. As the two armies converged, Scrooge leaped off Manny and knocked out two male Moonlander soldiers with his cane. A female Moonlander fired her laser pistol, but he merely dodged the shots fired before using his cane to deflect it and hit her instead. Meanwhile, managing to get the hang of the driving position, Launchpad threw the station wagon into reverse and drove up to Scrooge's position.

"Launchpad and Daff-" Scrooge backtracked, "uh, the...The Purple Weirdo..."

Drake frowned but nonetheless attempted to politely correct him, "Actually, it's Darkwing-"

"Yeah, yeah. No time!" Scrooge grabbed and hurled Drake out of the car before climbing into the passenger seat, "Drive!"

Launchpad and Scrooge drove past the soldiers while a recovering Drake ran after and jumped onto the roof of the car. Two soldiers fire but a charging and yelling Mrs. Beakley punched a big blue Moonlander down. She then gave a gut punch and a Shoryuken-like punch in quick succession to another Moonlander. Getting punched in the face by a bigger green Moonlander didn't seem to faze her in the slightest, as she quickly shrugged it off, grabbed his arm, and threw him down in the form of aikido. A shocked trio of two male soldiers and one female soldier tried to fire back, but they were enveloped into a black shadowy mist, carried into the sky, and blasted out by Duckworth's monster form. Briefly shifting to his normal form to give an acknowledging gesture, Duckworth then shifted to his monster form and flew around to scare three more Moonlander soldiers into run towards some trees. The soldiers scanned they surroundings, but they failed to spot Lena, who was sitting in one of the trees high above. She turned a soldier's laser gun into a crow before forming balls of pink energy and hurling them at the soldiers. The third soldier attempted to flee before Violet came out of hiding and used a pink-purple magic mace to sweep the soldier off his feet. He opened fire, but Violet deflected the shots and knocks his gun away. She aims her weapon and the soldier raises his hands in surrender.

Elsewhere, two soldiers fired their pistols when Gizmoduck drove up and used one of his extendable arms to grab and sling them far away. Gyro, Johnny, Randy and Gabby join up with Gizmoduck. Three more enemy soldiers arrive and fired their laser pistols, combating Gyro, who fired an energy gun of his own, and Gabby, who jumped to the forefront and used her sword and spare knife to deflect laser fire. Leaping into the air, she threw three kunai into the soldiers' guns to render them useless. The mercenary-for-hire smirked and let Quackfaster have her fun, as she wildly rushed the soldiers with her own sword. As the three retreated with screams of fear, Gizmoduck drove towards four Moonlander soldiers who opened fire and dodged one of their shots.

"M'ma!" Fenton cried out in alarm.

"I got him!" Officer Cabrera ran forward to grab and twist the arm of a Moonlander, whom she forced onto the concrete. She then seized the discarded laser pistol and shot two approaching soldiers.

"You're embarrassing me in front of the rebellion!"

"These aren't some bank robbers. It's an invasion! What are you going to do, pollito?"

Beneath his helmet, Fenton's eyes widened in realization and he smiled with a newfound confidence.

"Cream them!"

Gizmoduck drove forward and surrounded three more Moonlander soldiers, whom he shot with using three pies out of his chest, each and every one of them landing a direct hit in the face. Jumping back to his mother's side, Fenton watched with pride as the Moonlanders tasted the pies as they wiped them off their faces.

"Mmm, what is this delicious flavor?" A female Moonlander asked.

"Lemon merengue," Fenton shrugged, "Harpies love it."

Suddenly, a group of harpies soared down from the skies and carried away a trio of horrified Moonlanders. It was an unexpected move that earnestly surprised Officer Cabrera.

"Huh. Not bad, Gizmopollito."

"YEAAAAAAAAAH!"

The both of them watched as Gyro rushed headfirst into battle...and was seemingly vaporized by a shower of lasers, much to their horror.

"DR. GEARLOOSE!"

"Don't worry."

Their horror turned to confusion when a second Gyro entered the scene...

"That was a clone."

...and then shock again when the second Gyro was also vaporized.

"Okay. That might have been me, none of us really know anymore," A third Gyro shrugged before turning toward his clone army, "CHAAARRGE!"

The screaming army follow their fallen soldier's example by charging headfirst into the battle, firing their energy guns to combat the Moonlanders' own laser pistols.

Meanwhile, not far from Killmotor Hill, secretly meeting at the Abandoned Amphitheater were Louie, Gosalyn, and Starling.

"So..." Louie readied the Remington 700 AICS, "What's the plan?"

"We need to infiltrate the mansion," Starling was handed the Remington.

"Before or after the alliance?" Gosalyn readied her crossbow.

"It honestly doesn't matter," Starling shook his head, "We just need to get into the mansion."

"I assume you want us to go ahead?"

"Not this time. Not yet. I need you two to stay on my shoulder on the way there."

Louie and Gosalyn nodded in understanding before they both followed Starling.


End file.
